RECAP: Teddy Bear Toss Night Ends in High-Scoring Battle as Pats Fall 8–5 to Rockets
Regina, Sask. – The Regina Pats dropped a high-scoring affair to the Kelowna Rockets, 8–5, on Saturday night inside the Brandt Centre, spoiling the club’s 29th Teddy Bear Toss game.
The Rockets jumped out to an early 2–0 lead in the opening period, but the night turned at 10:58 when Matt Paranych wired a shot home for the Teddy Bear Toss goal, sending 2182 stuffed animals raining down onto the ice and swinging momentum back toward the Pats. Paranych’s marker sparked a surge, as Regina followed up with a power-play goal from rookie Maddox Schultz — the first of his WHL career — before Julien Maze gave the Pats a 3–2 lead late in the frame.
Kelowna responded in the second period, evening the score early before taking a 4–3 lead on the power play heading into the third. The Rockets pulled away early in the final frame with two quick goals, but Regina continued to battle back. Schultz scored his second of the night midway through the period, finishing off a feed from Liam Pue, while Zach Moore added a power-play goal to bring the Pats within two.
Despite the push, Kelowna answered each comeback attempt, to seal the 8–5 victory.
Schultz finished the night with two goals, the first two of his WHL career, while Pue recorded a pair of assists, giving him six points (2G–4A) over his last five games. Paranych continued his strong stretch with a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to three games (2G–3A), while Zachary Lansard chipped in with two helpers, giving him three points (1G–2A) over his last two contests.
FINAL: Kelowna Rockets 8, Regina Pats 5
THE GOALS
First Period
Rockets 1-0 — Mazden Leslie, assisted by Hayden Paupakekis & Rowan Guest at 4:48 // Paupanekis broke in on a two-on-one and fanned on his shot, but the puck went to a trailing Leslie, who chipped at the puck and knocked it over Hutchison to give the Rockets an early lead.
Rockets 2-0 — Mazden Leslie, assisted by Hiroki Gojsic & Shane Smith at 10:05 // Leslie got the puck at the point, and he let a slapper go that went off the bar and in to make it 2-0 for the visitors.
Pats 2-1 — #44 Matt Paranych (3), unassisted at 10:58 // Paranych walked in off the left point and fired the puck into the far corner to send the bears flying inside the Brandt Centre.
Pats 2-2 — #19 Maddox Schultz (1), assisted by #57 Zachary Lansard & #13 Liam Pue at 13:02 (PP) // Pue sent a cross-ice pass to Lansard whose shot was stopped by Boettiger, but the rebound went to Schultz, who buried his first career goal, tying the game up at 2-2.
Pats 3-2 — #72 Julien Maze (14), assisted by #25 Ruslan Karimov & #27 Caden Brown at 18:46 // Karimov worked his way out of the right corner and fed Maze the puck in the slot, and he riffled the puck into the top corner to take the lead.
Second Period
Rockets 3-3 — Daniel Pekar, assisted by Owen Folstrom at 6:44 // Folstrom found Pekar at centre ice with a pass, he broke in on a breakaway, and his shot squeaked through Hutchison’s five hole to pull the visitors even at 3-3.
Rockets 4-3 — Hayden Paupanekis, assisted by Carson Wetsch & Mazden Leslie at 18:34 (PP) // From deep in the Pats zone, Wetsch found Paupanekis at the top of the left circle where his shot snuck under Hutchison’s glove to make it 4-3 for the Rockets.
Third Period
Rockets 5-3 — Carson Wetsch, assisted by Will Sharpe & Hayden Paupakekis at 1:57 // Sharpe’s point shot was neatly deflected by Wetsch past Hutchison to give the Rockets a 5-3 lead.
Rockets 6-3 — Kalder Varga, assisted by Hayden Paupakekis & Carson Wetsch at 4:49 // Varga skated into the slot and ripped a shot past Hutchison’s outstretched glove to extend the Rockets lead to 6-3.
Pats 6-4 — #19 Maddox Schultz (2), assisted by Liam Pue & Shea Rollason at 7:14 // From deep in the Rockets zone, Schultz one-timed a Pue pass off Boettiger’s body and in to get the Pats to within a pair at 6-4.
Rockets 7-4 — Owen Folstrom, assisted by Connor Pankratz at 8:25 // Pankratz got the puck behind the Pats’ net and found an open Folstrom who beat Hutchison to make it 7-4 for the Rockets.
Pats 7-5 — #18 Zach Moore (3), assisted by #57 Zachary Lansard & #44 Matt Maranych at 11:19 (PP) // Moore picked up a rebound off of Lansard’s shot and was able to knock it past the Rockets netminder to pull the Pats to within a pair at 7-5.
Rockets 8-5 — Hayden Paupakekis, assisted by Hiroki Gojsic & Jacob Henderson at 12:17 (PP) // Paupanekis turned and swatted at the puck, and it bounced up and over Hutchison to make it 8-5.
Shots on Goal
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Pats: 17 – 9 – 7 — 33
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Rockets: 12 – 24 – 15 — 51
Power Plays
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Pats: 3/5
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Rockets: 2/6
Goaltending
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Pats: Matthew Hutchison — 43 saves on 51 shots
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Rockets: Harrison Boettiger — 27 saves on 32 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #23 Hayden Paupanekis (2G-3A)
- Second Star: #19 Maddox Schultz (2G)
- Third Star: Mazden Leslie (2G-1A)
COMING UP
The Regina Pats have one more game before the Christmas Break, and that features the Prince Albert Raiders on Wednesday at the Brandt Centre. The Club returns from the Christmas Holidays on Friday, December 27 when they take on the Saskatoon Blades at the SaskTel Centre. The Pats return home on December 28 and host the Blades for a 6pm puck drop.
