RECAP: Complete Effort from Pats Leads to Win Over Calgary
Final Score: Pats 4, Hitmen 1
Record: 22-27-3-1
Standings: 9th Place, Eastern Conference
Points Back of 8th: 2
Regina, Sask. — The Regina Pats are now within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot, thanks to a convincing 4-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre.
It was the Pats’ second win in as many nights, and an efficient one, where they out-shot the Hitmen 36-20.
Saturday was also a historical night for Connor Bedard, who surpassed the 100-point milestone in his Western Hockey League career, one year to the day of making his junior hockey debut.
Four Pats — including Bedard — registered multi-point nights, with Cole Dubinsky (1G-1A), Tanner Howe (2A) and Neithan Salame (1G-1A) each joining Bedard (2G). With the two goals, the 16-year-old increased his point streak to 17 games, during which he has produced 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points. It’s the longest active point streak in the league.
Drew Sim stopped 19 of 20 shots he faced in the Pats crease for his fifth win of the season.
The lone Calgary goal came off the stick of Anton Yatsyshin.
Regina went 1-for-4 on the power play, and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, which included killing off a 5-on-3.
With the win, the Pats are two points out of the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, currently held by Prince Albert (50 points), but the Pats have two games in hand. Regina is also still four points back of the 7th-place Lethbridge Hurricanes, who won on Saturday, but they also have two games in hand on them.
THE GOALS
1st Period
REG 1-0 at 8:50 — Connor Bedard (36), assisted by Parker Berge (8) and Tanner Howe (29) // Howe found Berge open at the middle point, who then passed it down to Bedard at the left circle. Bedard took a second to settle down the puck, but then ripped a wrist shot to the top corner.
2nd Period
REG 2-0 at 0:45 — Neithan Salame (2), assisted by Cole Dubinsky (19) // Dubinsky led the rush and tried to feed a pass through sticks to Cole Carrier, but it was broken up for a second, until Salame joined in and quickly chipped a shot from the slot that went top corner.
CGY 1-2 at 9:58 — Anton Yatsyshin (4), assisted by Tyson Galloway and Oliver Tulk// Yatsyshin fired a shot from the right circle threw a maze of players that beat a screened Sim.
REG 3-1 at 19:54 — Connor Bedard (37), assisted by Ryker Evans (39) and Tanner Howe (30) (PPG) // Evans gave the puck to Bedard at the top of the left circle on the power play, who then drew the defender out to him by threatening to shoot, but then quickly changed his angle by moving to the middle and launching a wrist shot to the short side top corner.
3rd Period
REG 4-1 at 5:31 — Cole Dubinsky (15), assisted by Neithan Salame (6) // Salame used the glass to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and in doing so, allowed Dubinsky to engage in a foot race and get to the puck first at the offensive blue line. With a clear path now ahead of him, Dubinsky beat Peters cleanly on the blocker side to make the score 4-1.
FINAL: Pats 4 | Hitmen 1
STATISTICS
SOG: REG — 20 | CGY — 36
PP: REG — 1/4 | CGY — 0/3
Face-Offs: REG — 42 | CGY — 34
GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Drew Sim made 19 saves, allowing just the one goal all evening.
Calgary: Brayden Peters allowed four goals on 36 shots.
THEY SAID IT
Pats Assistant Coach Ken Schneider: “This weekend was the weekend which determines whether we have a chance to make the playoffs or not. I can’t express it any more than it was a huge win tonight. I think what I really liked about tonight was how our entire team bought into our system and what we wanted to do in terms of the structure of our game. We finally started to learn how to kill penalties tonight. And yeah, we took a couple penalties where we shot pucks over the glass, but our players were trying to do the right thing, and it was meaningful…I think they only had like 12 shots after two periods: five and seven. And so you know, we’re pretty stingy. If you’re only giving up seven, five shots in a period, you’re really defending [well], you’re really smothering them. Of course in all fairness to them, they’re playing their fourth game in five nights, and we have to take advantage of that.”
Pats Forward Connor Bedard On Hitting 100 Points One Year After His Debut: “To look back and think that it’s been a year already is pretty crazy obviously. I think Neithan [Salame] can talk about just how fast it goes and it’s definitely pretty cool to kind of wake up and see that was a year ago, so to get a win in on the same day was pretty cool…it’s definitely a pretty cool coincidence, I think, for it to be exactly [one year]. It was just kind of random and it’s exciting it all worked out that way…The [win] is the most important thing obviously, you know, not really worried about that milestone — you’re worried about those two points. So it was definitely a good night.”
Pats Forward Cole Dubinsky on the Win: “It’s awesome, these two games we came into this weekend, knowing we had to win, to keep our playoff chance alive and to earn that spot and we came here and we did just that. I’m just proud of everyone on our team, and it just feels so good. I really love winning. That’s what it all comes down to and it was just awesome.”
3 STARS
Connor Bedard — REG: 2G, 4 SOG
Cole Dubinsky — REG: 1G, 1A, 3 SOG
Drew Sim — REG: 19 saves on 20 shots
UP NEXT
The Pats head on the road next week, taking on the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday and the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday. They head to Moose Jaw on Saturday, March 19.
Their next home game is Saturday, March 26 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. For tickets, click here.
