Keith Hershmiller
Eastern Division

Hitmen take extra point in 4-3 shootout win over Pats

Written by Kevin Shaw on

 

In a game that was originally scheduled for January 11, the Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen met one week later on the 18th. The Pats rallied from a two-goal deficit and picked up a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Hitmen before an announced crowd of 2,953 who braved frigid Regina temperatures.

Playing in their first shootout of the season, the Pats came up empty going 0-for 3 on their attempts.

First Period

The Pats opened the scoring when Ryker Evans ripped home his sixth of the season at 9:02 of the first period in the early stages of a powerplay. Tanner Howe and Logan Nijhoff (who extended his point-streak to nine games) picked up the assists on the 1-0 Pats goal.

Despite only having a handful of shots, the Hitmen tied the game up when Steel Quiring tipped home a pass from Zac Funk. Quiring’s seventh of the season (first as a Hitman) at 10:24 tied the game at 1-1.

The Hitmen increased their lead before the first was over when Riley Fiddler-Schultz scored as he decided to shoot while his team went into the Pats zone on a 4-on-1. Fiddler-Schultz’s 18th of the season at 15:48 gave the Hitmen a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Despite being down 2-1 the Pats handily outshot the Hitmen 23-7 in the opening stanza.

“I think in the first period we stuck to our game plan and played to our identity,” Pats assistant coach Brad Herauf said after the game. “[I] don’t know if Calgary didn’t have the best start there, but we liked our game in the first period.”

Second Period

Sean Tschigerl increased the Hitmen lead to a pair when he fired home a pass from Fiddler-Schultz past Drew Sim. The powerplay marker at 6:45 was Tschigerl’s 18th goal of the season. The Hitmen had scored three times on 12 shots up to this point.

Less than three minutes later, the Pats pulled to within one while on the powerplay when Nijhoff tipped Howe’s pass past Brayden Peters. Nijhoff’s 14th of the season at 9:22 made the score 3-2.

After forty minutes of play the Pats trailed 3-2. Despite being outshot 16-8 in the period, the Pats held a 31-23 advantage through two.

“I thought in the second period, we thought it was going to be a point night,” Herauf added. “We thought goals were going to be easy. I thought we kind of got away from it a little bit. Got a little bit individual. Got too cute at the blue line. We kind of let them stay in the game just because of our lack of execution and not sticking to our identity.”

Third Period

The Pats were able to tie the contest up early in the third period when Connor Bedard’s shot went in off of Zack Stringer while the Pats were on a five-on-three man advantage. The goal at 1:07 was Stringer’s eighth of the season.

Despite the teams combining for 12 shots in the third period, both teams had numerous chances in the latter stages, neither team was able to find the back of the net.

The Pats outshot the Hitmen 7-5 in the third and 38-28 through sixty minutes.

“But I’ve got to give our team credit: in the third period I thought we battled hard and we made it a game,” said Herauf of the Pats third period. “It wasn’t easy to score tonight. Their goalie played real well, so I give him a lot of credit there. We’ve just got to stay with it and not get frustrated. Not try to cheat to get more goals.”

Overtime

Regina started the overtime with a powerplay but Peters and the Hitmen stood their ground. Both teams had chanced in the extra frame but after five minutes the game was still deadlocked at 3-3.

The Pats outshot the Hitmen 6-3 in the overtime and 44-31 overall.

Shootout

The Pats made it to the breakaway contest for the first time this season and they decided to shoot first.

Bedard was up first… lost control, fans on his shot… no goal.

Blake Stevenson… stopped by Sim.

Dubinsky… beat the goalie, but lost control… no goal.

Tschigerl… scores low blocker side on Sim.

Howe… stopped by Peters.

Hitmen take this one 4-3.

The Pats went 3-for-7 on the powerplay while the Hitmen went 1-for-4 with the extra man.

Peters stopped 41 of 44 shots for the Hitmen earning him first star honours. After a shaky start, Sim finished strong making 28 saves on 31 shots.

Patterings… Neithan Salame is the 1,237 skater (not including goalies) in Regina Pats’ history… Fiddler-Schultz picked up second-star honours (1G-1A)… Nijhoff was named third-star (1G-1A)… Howe had his ninth multi-point game of the season and it was his third time with three-or-more points in 2021-22… Regina’s next action is Friday, January, 21 when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Brandt Centre.