RECAP: Pats win thriller in Brandon in 5000th game
Photo by Keith Hershmiller Photography
Brandon, Man. – The Regina Pats broke their eight game skid with a 4-3 come-from-behind overtime victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday at Westoba Place.
The Pats finished off their 5000th game in franchise history with a bang. With 3:26 to play in regulation, Tanner Howe banged home a rebound to force overtime. In the extra-frame, Tye Spencer received a pass from Temple in the slot, and he finished off the Pats sixth victory of the season.
Connor Bear and Anthony Wilson also scored for Regina in their victory. John Babcock extended his point-streak to four games (0G-6A) with a pair of assists. Kelton Pyne picked up his fifth win of the season, making 31 saves.
Dominik Petr (1G-1A), Marcus Nguyen and Nicolas Johnson scored for Brandon in their third straight loss. Carson Bjarnason made 27 saves as the Wheat Kings fell to 9-5-3-1. The Pats improved to 6-11-1-1 on the season
FINAL SCORE: Pats 4, Wheat Kings 3 (OT)
THE GOALS
First Period
1-0: Pats at 2:55 – Anthony Wilson (6), assisted by Cohen Klassen & Cameron Kuzma // The Pats got the puck along the left wing boards in the Wheat Kings zone where Klassen sent a shot towards the Brandon net and the puck caromed in off Wilson and past Bjarnason to give the Pats a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the contest.
1-1: Wheat Kings at 4:40 – Dominik Petr (5), assisted by Brady Turko // With the Wheat Kings controlling the puck in the Pats zone, Petr grabbed the puck along the goal line and fired a shot that beat Pyne to tie the contest at 1-1 less than two minutes later.
2-1: Pats at 9:22 – Connor Bear (3), assisted by Braxton Whitehead & Tye Spencer // Whitehead’s shot was stopped but the rebound popped into the air and out to the slot and to Bear who fired it into the yawing cage to give the Pats a 2-1 lead.
2-2: Wheat Kings at 18:32 – Nicholas Johnson (4), assisted by Player & Player // Johnson gained the Pats zone and got the puck at the right circle, found some room, cut to the slot and fired the puck past Pyne’s glove hand to make things even at 2-2.
Second Period
3-2: Wheat Kings at 6:24 – Marcus Nguyen (10), assisted by Dominik Petr & Quinn Mantei (PP) // Petr carried the puck into the Pats zone along the left wing boards and he passed the puck to a streaking Nguyen in front of the Pats net and he one-timed it past Pyne to give the Wheat Kings their first lead of the game at 3-2.
Third Period
3-3: Pats at 16:34 – Tanner Howe (6), assisted by John Babcock & Tyson Buczkowski // The Pats kept the puck in at the point. Babcock’s point shot was stopped but the rebound popped out to a mad scramble in front and Howe was able to grab in and fire it past a down and out Bjarnason to tie the game up at 3-3 late in the third period.
Overtime
4-3: Pats at 0:40 – Tye Spencer (6), assisted by Cole Temple & John Babcock // Temple’s shot was blocked but the puck bounced back to him and he sent a pass to the left wing side and Spencer fired it past Bjarnason to give the Pats a 4-3 win.
THE STATISTICS
SOG: Regina – 12-11-7-1–31 | Brandon – 13-13-8-0–34
PP: Regina – 0/3 | Brandon – 1/2
THE GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Kelton Pyne (28 saves / 31 shots)
Brandon: Carson Bjarnason (30 saves / 34 shots)
THE 3 STARS
First: Dominik Petr (1G-1A) – Wheat Kings
Second: Tanner Howe (1G) – Pats
Third: Nicholas Johnson (1G) – Wheat Kings
COMING UP
>>>The Regina Pats will play 10 of their next 11 games on the road, and that starts up on Friday with back-to-back road games against the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Pats are back home on November 20 when they host the Tri-City Americans.
