2021-22 WHL Season, East Division, Eastern Division

Goalies busy as Pats beat Warriors to win third straight

Written by Kevin Shaw on

 

The Regina Pats continued their recent hot stretch to pick up their third consecutive victory on Wednesday night. This time it was a 4-3 win over their Trans-Canada rival Moose Jaw Warriors.

With the win, the Pats moved to 5-7-0-0 and into a third-place tie with Brandon in the Eastern Division with 10 points.

Regina Pats vs. Moose Jaw Warriors (November 3, 2021 – Keith Hershmiller)

The top two lines remained intact with Cole Dubinsky, Logan Nijhoff, and Connor Bedard as the starting trio. Zack Stringer, Cole Carrier, and Zack Smith as the second trio. Drew Englot centered Tanner Howe and Braxton Whitehead on the third group. Americans Borya Valis, Matteo Michels, and Easton Armstrong were the last grouping of forwards. Ryker Evans and Luke Bateman started things off on defense. Stanislav Svozil and Tom Cadieux as a pair as well as Parker Berge and Adam McNutt as the final pairing. Matthew Kieper made his 11th start between the pipes for the Pats.

Four different Pats scored in the win. Whitehead, Smith, Stringer, and Bateman sniped for the Pats as the club went 2-for-4 on the powerplay while killing all three penalties.

The teams combined for 81 shots on goal in the contest. Kieper made 33 saves for the Pats and Carl Tetachuk made 41 for the Warriors in the loss.

First Period

The Warriors opened the scoring when Martin Rysavy scored his third of the season. The Warrior import picked up the puck raced into the net and placed a backhand past the Pats goaltender. The 1-0 goal was assisted by Denton Mateychuk at 8:06 of the first period.

The Pats tied the contest up late in the first period when a Warrior shot missed the net and bounced up to McNutt who just finished serving a minor penalty. McNutt led a 3-on-1 into the Warrior zone, he dropped the puck to Whitehead who ripped home a one-timer past Warrior overage netminder Tetachuk. Whitehead’s first of the season came at 18:18 of the middle stanza.

The score was tied 1-1 after one period, with the Pats up 15-13 on the shot clock.

Second Period

The teams combined for five goals and 32 shots in the second period, here are how things went.

With the Pats on the man advantage, Howe’s shot from the top of the left faceoff circle hit Tetachuk and bounced to Smith. Smith was able to corral the puck and deposit his first of the season past the Warrior netminder. Stringer picked up the other assist on the 2-1 goal at 5:51 of the second period.

Just seven seconds later Jagger Firkus responded for the Warriors to knot the game at 2-2. He gained the Pats zone and ripped a shot from the left side past the Pats goaltender. Firkus’ third of the season came at 5:58 of the second period.

Just over five minutes later, Stringer picked up his fifth of the season on the powerplay at 11:06. Smith’s shot was stopped, and the puck ricocheted to Stringer who put a shot towards the Warrior goal, and it bounced in off bodies past Tetachuk. Cadieux also picked up an assist on the 3-2 goal.

Bateman gave the Pats a 4-2 lead just under four minutes later at 15:02. Off an offensive zone faceoff, the Pats’ hulking defender let fly a wrister from the left point that beat Tetachuk. Englot won the faceoff and provided the screen for Bateman to pick up his first goal of the campaign. Howe picked up his second assist of the game on the goal. Bateman’s goal proved to be the game-winner.

Mateychuk got the Warriors to within one when his point shot, through a screen missed everything, except the back of the net. His fourth of the season made the score 4-3 at 16:54 and a one-goal deficit for Moose Jaw heading into the final twenty minutes.

The Pats had a 4-3 lead after forty minutes and a 31-29 shot lead heading into the second intermission.

Third Period

Both teams had multiple opportunities in the final period of play but neither side was able to light the lamp.

Mateychuk did hit the crossbar late in the game but that was it.

The Pats skated away with a 4-3 win over the Warriors.

The Pats outshot the Warriors 14-7 in the third period for a 45-36 advantage in the game.

Regina Pats celebrate win vs. Moose Jaw Warriors (November 3, 2021 – Keith Hershmiller)

“Obviously, it feels really good.” Pats alternate captain Englot said after the third straight win. “We’ve been doing all the things right and staying consistent every game and it’s tough not to get those wins, but we’re starting to find the back of the net and get those wins. It’s pretty awesome.”

“I don’t know that we were in love with our game tonight.” Pats assistant coach Ken Schneider was more subdued when discussing the outcome. “I think we got done what we needed to get done. We did some things right late, but overall, I think when we play the likes of Winnipeg or Brandon, those teams – not to take anything away from Moose Jaw — we’re going to need to play a little bit better in our own end.”

Stringer: “Boys got their feet moving, we had a better start off the bat there, so I think that changed the momentum of the game than how we’ve been playing earlier in the season.”

“In time, in those tight games,” Schneider was concerned with the defensive play and playing while in the lead. “It’d be nice to get the lead once in a while and then of course tonight we did and then learning about how to play with the lead. Playing with the lead is all about making sure we put pucks in the right place and being good defensively. Being on top of our check, instead of getting trapped three guys below the goal line, maybe make a play at their net, and then they stretch the puck up the ice, and we get caught flat-footed. That happened several times tonight and that’s a dangerous way to play if you get into a track race.”

“We know what we can do when we start off the bat here,” Stringer said, “And I think we’ve just got to start on time.”

Patterings… Dubinsky was held off the scoresheet, ending his 10-game point streak and five-game goal streak… The Pats’ third goal may get changed to Carrier as it looked like it hit him before going into the Warrior net… The Pats’ next action is Saturday, November 3 versus the Brandon Wheat Kings.