PREVIEW: Pats Return Home for Key Matchup with Conference-Leading Raiders

PREVIEW: Pats Return Home for Key Matchup with Conference-Leading Raiders

Regina, Sask. – The Regina Pats return to the Brandt Centre on Saturday night for a crucial late-season matchup against the Prince Albert Raiders with just five games remaining in the regular season.

WHL REGULAR SEASON GAME #64 | Regina Pats (25-30-7-1) vs. Prince Albert Raiders (48-10-5-1)

GAME PREVIEW

Regina enters the contest coming off a 4–2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes to wrap up their three-game Alberta road trip with three of a possible six points. Ellis Mieyette led the way offensively with two points (1G–1A), while Zach Lansard, Connor Bear and Zach Moore also found the back of the net. Goaltender Marek Schlenker turned aside 19 shots in the win as the Pats outshot the Hurricanes 25–21. Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play.

The Pats have been playing some of their best hockey down the stretch. Regina is 14-9-3 over its last 26 games with victories over Red Deer, Brandon, Swift Current (twice), Edmonton (twice), Moose Jaw (twice), Saskatoon (twice), Prince George and Lethbridge (twice). The club has also gone 9-4-1 in its last 14 outings.

With 58 points, the Pats currently sit seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, three points ahead of the eighth-place Red Deer Rebels and five points clear of the ninth-place Moose Jaw Warriors. Regina’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to one — meaning a win on Saturday or two more points would secure the Pats’ first postseason appearance since the 2022-23 campaign.

Prince Albert arrives in Regina in the midst of a tight race for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders boast a 48-10-5-1 record and 102 points, tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers atop the conference standings with just four games remaining. They are coming off a dominant 11–0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The Raiders’ success this season marks a significant step forward from last year’s 84-point campaign and has been driven by impressive depth throughout their lineup. Eight Prince Albert players have surpassed the 20-goal mark, while six skaters are averaging better than a point per game. Leading the charge is Braeden Cootes, a first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, who paces the Raiders with 1.36 points per game.

WHO TO WATCH

As the Pats push toward the playoffs, veteran forward Caden Brown is enjoying the best season of his WHL career. The 20-year-old from Fort St. John, B.C., has recorded a career-high 60 points (28G–32A) in 59 games this season.

Originally a first-round pick of the Prince George Cougars in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, Brown has appeared in 284 career WHL games split between Prince George, Everett and Regina, totaling 170 points (80G–90A). Since being acquired from the Everett Silvertips in 2024, Brown has been a key contributor for the Pats, producing 88 points — including 43 goals — in exactly 100 games with the club.

Regina product Jonah Sivertson has made an immediate impact in his rookie season with Prince Albert. The 17-year-old forward leads all Raiders rookies in scoring with 49 points (22G–29A) in 62 games and carries a +43 rating, which ranks third on the team. Sivertson is also one of eight Prince Albert players to eclipse the 20-goal mark this season.

Before joining the Raiders, the 6-foot-3 forward starred locally with the Regina Pat Canadians, posting 77 points (32G–45A) in just 30 games while helping the club capture both a league championship and the TELUS Cup. Sivertson added another 14 points (7G–5A) in seven games during the national tournament.

COMING UP

The Regina Pats travel to Moose Jaw and play the Warriors on Sunday, March 14 at 2pm. The Pats will then rematch the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday, March 17 at the Art Hauser Centre. The final two games of the season will be March 20 and 21 against the Brandon Wheat Kings.