PREVIEW: Home-and-Home with Blades Begins the Second Half

PREVIEW: Home-and-Home with Blades Begins the Second Half

Regina, Sask. – The Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades renew their rivalry as both clubs open the second half of the WHL schedule with the first game of a home-and-home set.

WHL REGULAR SEASON GAME #32 | Regina Pats (11-17-2-1) at Saskatoon Blades (17-14-2-1)

PREVIEW

The Pats closed out the first half with an 11-17-2-1 record (25 points), sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference through 31 games. That mark represents progress from a season ago, when Regina was 8-17-4-2 (22 points) and 10th in the East at the same point. Last season, the Pats went 8-27-1-1 in the second half following the Christmas break — a stretch they’ll look to improve upon this time around.

Regina enters the matchup riding momentum after a 5-4 win over Eastern Conference-leading Prince Albert on December 17, snapping the Raiders’ five-game winning streak and wrapping up the first half with wins in two of their final three games. The Pats erased two one-goal deficits, and carried a 3-2 lead into the third period, and leaned on a balanced offensive effort. Zach Lansard (2G), Ellis Mieyette (1G-1A), Caden Brown (1G-1A), and Reese Hamilton (2A) led the way, while Marek Schlenker stopped 34 of 38 shots. Regina went 2-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill in the victory.

Schlenker continues to be a steady presence in goal. The Okotoks, Alta. product recorded his ninth .900-plus save percentage performance on December 17 and earned his seventh win of the season. He has faced 38 or more shots eight times this year and ranks top-10 in the WHL in shots against (638).

Another major bright spot for Regina has been the power play. Over their last 15 games, the Pats are 22-for-61 (36.0%), including seven power-play goals in their last four contests. On the season, Regina’s man-advantage is clicking at 27.6% (37-for-132), good for eighth in the WHL.

The Pats last met the Blades on December 7, earning a 4-0 win at SaskTel Centre. Matthew Hutchison turned aside 32 shots for his first WHL shutout, as Regina claimed its first win in Saskatoon since March 19, 2023. Ruslan Karimov (1G-2A) and Matt Paranych (1G-1A) paced the offence with multi-point performances.

Saskatoon finished the first half with a 3-2 shootout loss to Kelowna on December 17 and has now dropped two straight games. The Blades are 3-6-0-1 over their last 10 outings, though they did snap a season-long five-game skid on December 9 with a 9-3 win over Moose Jaw, followed by two additional victories before their recent losses.

Through 34 games, the Blades sit sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-14-2-1 record and 37 points, having played the most games in the conference. At the Christmas break last season, Saskatoon was 17-10-2-2 (38 points) and tied for second in the East.

COMING UP

The Regina Pats continue their home-and-home series with the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday, December 28 at 2 p.m. Following the weekend set, the Pats return to the Brandt Centre on New Year’s Eve to take on the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Regina then opens the New Year with another home-and-home, this time against the Prince Albert Raiders, on Friday, January 2 and Saturday, January 3.