Cole Dubinsky led the way with a goal and an assist and the Regina Pats (8-10-3) handed the Moose Jaw Warriors (8-11-2) their fifth defeat in their last six by taking a 4-1 decision Friday night.
The Regina victory means the Trans-Canada Clash Pats vs Warriors rivalry will end with two wins apiece in the Subway WHL Hub campaign.
The @WHLPats start their weekend on a winning note in the #SubwayWHLHub.
STATS ? | https://t.co/6NEs0c0tgH pic.twitter.com/lGhT7cV7pe
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 24, 2021
Moose Jaw head coach Mark O’Leary was not impressed by much of his team’s performance post-game.
“I think start to finish we were the second-best team,” he said.
“We didn’t earn bounces, and I didn’t think there was a lot of ‘second effort’ tonight. There were a few guys that were in tonight, but not nearly enough. We need to do more, and tonight was not good enough, and we have to regroup in a hurry to get back to our game.”
A dominant-yet-fruitless start for the Warriors was ruined 8:02 in when on a Regina power play a soft wrister from the left half-wall from Cole Dubinsky evaded Brett Mirwald through the five-hole.
Momentum had moved to the Pats and Regina defenceman Tom Cadieux was millimeters from doubling the advantage with seven minutes left in the period when he fired a shot from the top of the right circle off the post to Mirwald’s left.
The game remained wide open and the chances were there, but Roddy Ross in the Pats net was standing strong despite the fact the Warriors were sticking to their up-tempo, high energy game plan through the early minutes of the second.
Leyton Feist did get that second for Regina on another power play as he fired a bullet high blocker on Mirwald at 15:30.
Mirwald was then chased in favour of Boston Bilous moments later when Drew Englot’s bad-angled wrister surprised the rookie netminder high to the short side.
“(Trying to find consistency from our goaltenders) has been challenging,” said O’Leary.
“They are not different from any of our other players in that they are expected to do their job, and for them, that’s to stop the pucks that they are supposed to stop. Tonight was not one of those nights. At the same time, as any other player, when things are not going well accountability means paying attention, evaluating, and then offering feedback. Our feedback simply is that they need to stop pucks that they need to stop. We believe in the goaltenders that we have, but we know they can be better.”
2021 #NHLDraft prospect Drew Englot checking in with a SNIPE! @WHLPats | #SubwayWHLHub pic.twitter.com/x3uVxe8jPp
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 24, 2021
It was the fifth time in the 21 games of the season so far that O’Leary had to relieve the starting goaltender.
Mirwald’s night ended after he allowed three goals on 20 shots.
The Pats welcomed Bilous three-and-a-half minutes into the final frame as Zack Smith’s shot off the rush beat the 19-year-old high glove side, and Regina was in control up 4-0.
? Shortie for Smith!! No. 19 scores in his return to the lineup and we're up by 4.
That means $400 tonight for @BBBSRegina from PTI.#JoinTheRegiment #SubwayWHLHub pic.twitter.com/kIe6nfTWXM
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) April 24, 2021
Cory King got one back for the Warriors with just over seven minutes left in regulation when his flipped wrister from the high slot floated in off Ross’ glove, and then seconds later when Bilous stopped Carter Chorney on a Regina penalty shot, it looked as though a crack of light had emerged in the darkness for Moose Jaw.
It was too little and too late.
The Warriors are down to two more games in the Subway WHL Hub, as the penultimate contest of their campaign is set for Sunday afternoon vs. the Swift Current Broncos.
