Pats Down Red Deer

Regina, Saskatchewan – The Regina Pats (8-8-1-0) took on the Memorial Cup host Red Deer Rebels (14-7-0-0) on Josh Harding Bobblehead Night presented by Knight Archer Insurance.  The Pats jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held off a Rebels charge in the third to capture an 8-5 win.

Scoring Summary

First Period
Red Deer – Jeff de Wit (2) from Hagel and Bobyk – 10:54
Regina – Sergey Zborovskiy (4) from Brooks – 14:47 (PP)
Regina – Austin Wagner (4) from Pouteau and Brooks – 17:05

Second Period
Regina – Adam Berg (2) – Unassisted – 0:39
Regina – Austin Wagner (5) from Harrison and Berg – 4:05
Regina – Colby Williams (1) from Steel and Brooks – 11:12
Red Deer – Evan Polei (10) from de Wit and Pouliot – 15:21
Regina – Lane Zablocki (5) from Steel and Harrison – 19:39 (PP)

Third Period
Red Deer – Haydn Fleury (6) – Unassisted – 4:06
Red Deer – Michael Spacek (10) from Nikolishin and Strand – 4:50
Red Deer – Ivan Nikolishin (12) from Spacek and Johnson – 9:07 (PP)
Regina – Chase Harrison (2) from Williams and Brooks – 16:33 (PP)
Regina – Sam Steel (6) from Cole – 18:41 (EN)

Shots on Goal
Regina – 14-15-11-(40)   Red Deer – 9-10-14-(33)

Powerplay
Regina – 3/8   Red Deer – 1/5

Game Story
The Rebels fought through a solid start for the Pats to open the scoring.  Jeff de Wit took a pass alone in the slot and had plenty of room to tuck the game’s first goal past Jordan Hollett.  The Blue and White bounced right back under four minutes later on the powerplay.  Sergey Zborovskiy walked the line before letting loose a wrister from point to beat Rylan Toth through a screen.  Austin Wagner followed that up using his quick feet to grab a loose puck before blowing a shot by Toth’s glove to give Regina a 2-1 lead.  The Pats turned aside two Red Deer powerplays in the first to come out with a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes.

After struggling to find goals the last couple of weeks, the floodgates finally opened for the Pats in the second period.  Just 39 seconds into the frame, Adam Berg stole the puck and spun a backhand into the Rebels goal.  That brought on the goaltending swap as Trevor Martin came into the game.  He didn’t fair much better as a blocked shot redirected straight to Wagner in the slot and the speedster tapped in his second of the night.  Colby Williams checked into the scoresheet in his first game back as he wired a shot from the line that eluded Martin to give the Pats a 5-1 lead at the 11:12 mark.  The goal brought Rylan Toth back into the Red Deer net.  Evan Polei got the score back within three on a great individual effort.  He slid the puck through the legs of a Pats defender before tucking a perfect shot up under the bar.  The Pats put the advantage back to four with a five-on-three powerplay marker.  Sam Steel went cross-crease for Lane Zablocki who knocked the pass out of the air, then popped it to the back of the net for a 6-2 lead after two frames.

Goals continued to come in the third period as the Rebels fought their way back into the game.  Haydn Fleury’s end-to-end rush started off a three goal run by the Rebels.  Michael Spacek followed him up, sneaking his shot past a screened Jordan Hollett.  With a powerplay goal, Ivan Nikolishin made it a 6-5 game with 10:53 remaining in the third frame.  Red Deer nearly tied the contest after the Pats were turned away on the powerplay; but Hollett made his best save of the night by stretching his right pad to edge away a Wyatt Johnson breakaway chance.  Chase Harrison rewarded the rookie’s effort when he slammed home a powerplay goal from the point to give the Queen City Kids some breathing room at 7-5.  Sam Steel iced the game with an empty netter to cap off the 8-5 victory.

Quick Hits
– Colby Williams had a goal and an assist and was named the first star in his return to the lineup.
– Jordan Hollett earned his first career win.
– Adam Brooks registered his second four point night (4A) of the season.
– Game attendance was 4388.

What’s Next?
The Pats continue their homestand against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday in a 4 p.m. matchup.  Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.ca, the Brandt Centre Box Office and Safeway locations throughout Regina.

Named for the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats are the oldest major junior hockey franchise in the world.  Since their founding in 1917, the Pats have won three Memorial Cup championships and compete in the WHL’s Eastern Division.  To learn more about the Pats, call 306-337-1535 or visit www.reginapats.com.