PREVIEW: Pats look to stay perfect against Prince Albert on Saturday

The Regina Pats (26-22-5-0) play their lone game of the weekend tonight at home to the Prince Albert Raiders (21-20-8-2). Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Pats were last in action on Wednesday, beating the Prince George Cougars 4-1. The Raiders hosted Saskatoon on Friday night and picked up a 5-2 victory. Tonight is the sixth of eight meetings between the Pats and Raiders, Regina holds a 5-0-0-0 record in the season series. The game can be heard starting at 6:35 with Bennett Dunlop Ford Pats Hockey on 620 CKRM and will also be broadcast on Access 7.

The Lead Up: Pats close January with win over Prince George
The Regina Pats closed out the month of January with a 4-1 win over the Prince George Cougars on Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre. Jesse Gabrielle opening the scoring for the Pats against his former club while on the powerplay for his seventh of the season. The Cougars would respond with a shorthanded goal from Jared Bethune and it was a 1-1 game after one. In the second, Regina picked up goals from Sam Steel, his 18th, and Matt Bradley, his 30th, to lead 3-1 heading to the third. Cameron Hebig added to the lead with a shorthanded goal for his 35th of the year to make it 4-1 and that was the final. Sam Steel and Emil Oksanen led the offence with two points each while Max Paddock made 29 saves.

Head to Head
Tonight is the sixth of eight meetings between the Pats and Raiders, Regina has won the first five matchups and have beaten their division rivals 12 straight times going back to last year. This season, Matt Bradley has scored three goals and has eight points against Prince Albert while Jake Leschyshyn is next with five goals and two assists. The Raiders are led by Jordy Stallard who has six points against Regina and Curtis Miske has five points. The Pats enter Saturday five points ahead of the Raiders in the East Division standings, Prince Albert holds two games in hand.

250 Games
Pats defenceman Cale Fleury played in his 250th career WHL game on Wednesday night against the Cougars. The 19-year-old picked up an assist in the win. Fleury, a third round pick of the Montreal Canadiens, has played in 32 games with the Pats and 218 with the Kootenay ICE. In that stretch, Fleury has scored 29 goals and has 84 assists for 113 points.

Bradley Hits 30
Pats forward Matt Bradley reached the 30 goal mark for a second straight season on Wednesday night. The 20-yar-old picked up his 30th in the second period against the Cougars. This season, Bradley has added 28 assists to sit with 58 points in 53 games. Last year with Medicine Hat, Bradley scored 34 goals and finished with 77 points in 70 games. This year he is on pace to finish with 41 goals and 79 points.

Upcoming Schedule
Pats @ Brandon – Tuesday February 6, 7 p.m. – Westman Place (CKRM)
Pats Vs Kootenay – Friday February 9, 7 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM)
Pats Vs Lethbridge – Saturday February 10, 7 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM)