The Regina Pats may be the best team in the CHL, but that doesn’t mean that they have any intention of getting complacent.
Saturday, Connor Hobbs and Philip Ahl were healthy scratches as they were disciplined by Pats head coach/GM John Paddock for taking undisciplined penalties. The following night, Austin Wagner was scratched for the same reason.
The Pats also experimented by putting Hobbs, arguably their top defenceman, on the right wing of a line with Adam Brooks and Jake Leschyshyn Sunday. Hobbs responded by scoring twice and adding an assist.
Paddock noted that with their newfound depth on defence and lack of numbers up front, he felt trying Hobbs as a forward wasn’t a bad insurance policy. He said that he expected Hobbs to get a couple of more cameos up front before the regular season ended so he would be comfortable there should he eventually be pressed into duty by necessity.
Pats unproven between the posts
The Pats (29-5-6-1) week got off to a remarkable start as they grabbed a 4-0 lead midway through the first period and led 5-1 in the first before the Tri-City Americans roared back for a 6-5 win.
The Americans were aided when Pats goalie Tyler Brown left after two periods. The Americans scored twice on 12 shots against Kurtis Chapman.
With their regular goaltending tandem of Brown and Jordan Hoilett both out injured, the Pats turned to Chapman — who has 50 minutes of WHL experience to date — from Portage in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and 16-year-old Max Paddock. Paddock, on loan from the Brandon midget AAAs, is a perfect 3-0 in three appearances this season.
Following the loss to Tri-City, the Pats gave the nod to Chapman who was chased after the Prince Albert Raiders took a 4-0 lead after a period. The Pats earned a 7-6 overtime win.
Hoilett hasn’t played since Nov. 20 on the team’s B.C. road trip. He and Brown are listed as day-to-day with lower-body injuries.
Warriors offence runs cold on coast
The Moose Jaw Warriors (27-12-6-1) explosive offence went cold on the west coast as they went 120 minutes and 21 seconds without scoring on their B.C. Division trip.
Despite the long stretch, the Warriors are 2-2 to date on the road swing. They beat Vancouver 4-1 to open the trip and then were blanked 3-0 in Victoria and lost 4-1 in Kamloops as Thomas Foster’s goal spoiled the shutout bid.
The Warriors rebounded with a 3-2 overtime win in Kelowna thanks to Brayden Burke’s game-winning-goal. The Warriors have been without Noah Gregor who has now missed five straight games after suffering an injury in Regina on Jan. 7.
Broncos lose a pair in Alberta
It was a rough week for the Swift Current Broncos (25-14-3-5) who suffered a pair of uncharacteristic lopsided losses and also played a pair of far more typical games that were decided via shootout.
The Broncos opened the week with a 7-3 loss in Medicine Hat that saw 20-year-old goalie Jordan Papirny make his Broncos debut and surrender four goals off of nine shots before being chased in the first period.
Broncos bench boss Emanuel Viveiros stuck by Papirny and gave him the next three starts. They lost 4-3 to Tri-City in a shootout and beat Red Deer 5-4 in a shootout before losing 5-1 in Lethbridge.
Patrick shines in return
The Brandon Wheat Kings (22-17-4-0) continue to turn it on in the second half. The defending champions have won seven of their last nine games as they continue to close ground on Moose Jaw and Swift Current in the East Division standings.
Travis Child got off to a good start with his new team as he posted a shutout in a 4-0 win over Kootenay. He earned his first win a night earlier in relief of Logan Thompson in an 8-5 win over the Ice.
Nolan Patrick made his long-awaited return and didn’t show any rust as he scored twice and added two asissts. Tyler Coulter did him one better as he had three goals and three assists in the 8-5 win.
Blades surge into playoff spot
The Saskatoon Blades (18-22-5-1) won their third straight game to vault past the flagging Edmonton Oil Kings and into the final wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Blades beat Red Deer 4-2 and then used a 48-save performance from Logan Flodell to beat Medicine Hat 5-3. Braylon Shmyr and Jesse Shynkaruk each had two goals in the win.
The Blades will conclude their six-game home stand with games against Brandon and Swift Current this week.
They are now two points ahead of Calgary and Edmonton who are tied. Calgary does have three games in hand.
Raiders can’t hold onto leads
The Prince Albert Raiders (8-34-3-2) had some tough losses this week as they led Regina 4-0 and Kootenay 2-0 and failed to win either game.
The Raiders earned a point in their 7-6 overtime loss in Regina. They also lost a tight 4-3 decision to Red Deer. They concluded their week with a 5-1 loss to Regina and a 6-3 loss to the Ice.
