Pats Dethrone Oil Kings

First Period
The Pats hit a speed bump before the game even started when the club was forced to change its starting goalie ahead of game time.  Teagan Sacher didn’t dress for the game, opening the door for Dawson MacAuley to get back between the pipes.  16-year old goalie Nick Schneider was in the building to watch the game and found himself in the back-up role on the bench.  MacAuley took the opportunity and ran with it in the opening period, stopping all ten shots he faced.  The Pats jumped on the board in the first forty-three seconds of the game when Adam Brooks won an offensive zone draw, Geordie Maguire pushed the puck back and Carson Samoridny sniped the far side of the net past Edmonton netminder Tristan Jarry for a 1-0 Pats lead.

Second Period
The middle frame saw the Pats’ offence explode for four goals in the period.  During a string of penalties, Dmitry Sinitsyn exited the penalty box with the Pats still down a man, took an errant pass the other way and buried the shorthanded goal by Jarry.  Just under two minutes later, Stephen Hak slid to block a pass, then whacked the puck away from his stomach.  Patrick D’Amico worked the puck to Marc McCoy who beat Jarry with another quick wrister.  With the Pats on the penalty kill again, Morgan Klimchuk stripped the puck and lofted a perfect lead pass for Chandler Stephenson who tallied the Pats’ second shorthanded marker.  Before the end of the period, the Blue and White would make it 5-0 when Sinitsyn spied Klimchuk to the far side of the Edmonton net for the sniper’s first of the new season.

Third Period
With twenty minutes standing between Dawson MacAuley and his first WHL shutout, the Oil Kings would make the Pats’ netminder work for it.  Midway through the third on an offensive zone draw, the Pats added to their lead again when Dyson Stevenson pushed the puck to Klimchuk for his second of the game and a 6-0 lead.  That would round out the Pats scoring for the night and attention turned to the clock to see if MacAuley could hold the Oil Kings at bay.  The Prince Albert, SK native turned away all 12 shots he faced in the third period for a three period total of 34 to complete the shutout.

Next Game: at Red Deer – Friday, September 27^th – 7:00 p.m. (CKRM)

Next Home Game: vs. Saskatoon – Sunday, October 6^th – 6:00 p.m. (CKRM)