PREVIEW: Brandon next after Pats’ back-to-back wins
REGINA – The Regina Pats take aim at three consecutive wins Thursday night inside the Brandt Centre, as the Brandon Wheat Kings bring their own win streak into the contest.
Brandon has won four straight, with their most recent outing a 7-1 drubbing of the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday afternoon. The Wheaties have put up some big offensive numbers as of late, scoring 24 goals over the course of their win streak.
Where to LISTEN/WATCH
- Radio: 620ckrm.com
- TV: AccessNow TV
- Stream: WHL Live
CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF GAME NOTES
CLICK HERE FOR THE GAME DAY LINEUPS & PLAYER STATS
On the Pats side of things, the team earned their first back-to-back wins of the season earlier this week. An emphatic 9-4 victory over the Swift Current Broncos kicked off the week, before Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Your game day lineup from @MosaicCompany
Puck drop 8 p.m. vs. @bdnwheatkings (in their Cooperalls ????)
D – Jake Johnson back after missing a few with an upper body injury.#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/084aiczCb0
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) April 1, 2021
Backstopped by Roddy Ross, who got the win both nights, Regina enters the Easter long weekend with a .500 record for the first time this season. It also marks the first time since the 2017-18 season, when Regina finished 40-25-6-1, the Pats are .500 or better in the midst of a season.
A big part of the Pats four wins this season has been the play of Connor Bedard. The exceptional rookie enters the night with 19 points in 10 games. The North Vancouver product has been stellar all season, with points every time out. Bedard has six points in his last two games, marking his best two-game stretch of the season. He found the back of the net once against the Wheat Kings when the two teams clashed back on March 20 in a 3-2 OT loss for the Regiment.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: LAST 10 MEETINGS | REG (4-3-1-2) vs. BDN
- Mar. 20, 2021: REG 3 vs. BDN 3 (OT)
- Feb. 23, 2020: REG 4 (OT) vs. BDN 3
- Feb. 17, 2020: REG 1 vs. BDN 2
- Jan. 5, 2020: REG 0 vs. BDN 5
- Dec. 30, 2019: REG 1 @ BDN 4
- Nov. 23, 2019: REG 5 @ BDN 4
- Mar. 16, 2019: REG 4 @ BDN 5 (SO)
- Mar. 15, 2019: REG 5 vs. BDN 4
- Jan. 26, 2019: REG 2 @ BDN 3 (SO)
- Jan. 25, 2019: REG 4 vs. BDN 0
PATS ALL-TIME REG. SEASON RECORD vs. BDN
- 200-216-21-12-6 (W-L-T-OTL-SOL)
.@Payworks By The Numbers
Us on March 20: WOW! Bedard has been unreal through 5 games.
Us on April 1: WOW! Bedard has been even BETTER through another 5 games.#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/AVxq6cUMSo
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) April 1, 2021
SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT
- REGINA:
- PP – 8/44, 18.2% (14th WHL)
- PK – 36/47, 76.6% (14th WHL)
- BRANDON:
- PP – 17/54, 31.5% (4th WHL)
- PK – 40/52, 76.9% (13th WHL)
BY THE NUMBERS
- Regina’s early returns this season have been a step in the right direction, getting to four wins in half the time it took in 2019-20. Last season the Pats earned win No. 4 in game 20 (6-0 win over Swift Current on Nov. 22).
- Two of the WHL’s best offensive defencemen so far this season are Regina’s Ryker Evans (3rd in WHL) and Brandon’s Braden Schneider (4th in WHL). Evans has 1G-9A-10Pts., while Schneider has 2G-7A-9Pts.
- Four different Pats have scored the game-winner for the club this season and three of them are rookies. Bedard, Carter Massier (only vet), Easton Armstrong, and Layton Feist all have winners to their name.
- Carson Denomie leads the Pats in +/- this season at plus-six. He’s one of seven Pats on the plus side of things. Seven other players are even.
- Brandon comes into Thursday as the highest scoring team in the East Division Hub with 44 goals.
- The Internet has noticed Bedard’s debut. Bedard’s Elite Prospects page has been a hot spot since his WHL debut, with nearly 100,000 views since March 12.
