Keith Hershmiller
2021-22 WHL Season, East Division, Eastern Division

Pats sweep weekend series against Broncos with 7-3 win

Written by Kevin Shaw on

 

After ending their seven-game losing streak Friday night with a 4-1 win over the host Swift Current Broncos, the Pats looked to keep up the momentum. The Halloween eve contest featured seven of the game’s ten goals scored while on the powerplay as the Pats won the second half of the home-and-home 7-3 before 3,641 at the Brandt Centre. The Pats scored twice while on the powerplay and twice while shorthanded, the Broncos responded scoring all three of their markers on the powerplay.

The game started slowly, with both teams scoring once in the opening frame. The floodgates opened in the middle twenty with the Pats taking a 4-2 lead into the third period. Regina then sealed the game with three more in the third period before Swift Current rounded out the scoring in the 7-3 game.

“I thought we had a good start.” – Pats alternate captain Connor Bedard said after the game, “We kind of were able to carry that momentum after getting a couple of goals, but you know there’s definitely things we can improve on, but it’s definitely good to get these two wins.”

First Period

The Pats opened the scoring after defenseman Tom Cadieux held the puck in at the right point. Bedard picked up the loose puck and ripped home his fifth of the season past Swift Current netminder Isaac Poulter. The even-strength marker gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 15:10 of the first period.

The Broncos less than four minutes later, on a 5-on-3 powerplay. Owen Pickering converted a back-door feed into a wide-open cage from Raphael Pelletier to score his first of the campaign. Rayan Bettahar picked up the secondary assist on the 1-1 goal.

The teams went into the first intermission tied 1-1. Regina was up 12-10 on the shot clock.

Second Period

The Pats regained the lead after Logan Nijhoff connected shorthanded. Defenseman Luke Bateman dumped the puck into the corner and the Broncos defender lost an edge. The Pats captain took advantage of the spill, grabbing the puck and lifting a quick shot past Poulter’s blocker. Nijhoff’s third of the season at 2:49 gave the Pats the 2-1 advantage. Bateman and Ryker Evans picked up the assists on the goal.

On the same powerplay, the Broncos tied the game back up. Under 30 seconds later Cole Nagy connected on his first of the season after he poked home a loose puck in the Pats’ crease. Matthew Ward’s shot was initially stopped by Matthew Kieper, but he could not corral the puck and Nagy capitalized at 3:15 to make the score 2-2.

Tanner Howe restored the Pats’ one-goal lead at 7:49 of the middle twenty. While on the penalty kill, the young Pat forward stole the puck from the Bronco defenseman at the center red line. The Bronco defender gave chase but was unable to fully catch Howe and as the Pat forward was falling to the ice flipped a shot that beat Poulter top glove side. Howe’s second of the season gave the Pats a 3-2 lead.

“It felt good,” Howe said of his shorthanded goal. “I just picked that pass off and went down and finally got one… it felt good to do it in front of the fans too. Yeah, it felt good.”

Just 26.7 seconds before the end of the second Nijhoff picked up his second of the game. Bedard’s wrist shot glanced off the overage forward who was screening the Broncos goaltender. His fourth goal of the campaign came on the third powerplay of the game gave the Pats a 4-2 lead heading into the final twenty minutes. Evans picked up the second assist on the eventual game-winner.

The Pats headed into the second intermission up 4-2 and 22-18 on the shot clock.

Third Period

The Pats extended their lead to three goals early into the third period. Evans scored his second of the season after he received a pass from Drew Englot to the right point. The Seattle Kraken prospect made his way to the top of the circle and fired home the 5-2 marker at 2:44 of the third period. Howe picked up an assist on the even-strength goal

The Pats added to their lead just over five minutes later when the Pats’ exceptional forward Bedard connected with his second of the game and sixth of the season. He and Nijhoff entered the Bronco zone on a two-on-two, Nijhoff spilled both defenders and Bedard had time and space to beat Poulter to make it 6-2 at 7:57. Layton Feist and Cadieux wrung up assists on the even-strength goal.

Just over four minutes later, Cole Dubinsky took it upon himself to keep his streaks alive. The 19-year-old forward received a long pass from Evans, and he did the rest of the work. Dubinsky drove wide in the Broncos zone before dashing toward the net. He then tucked home his team-leading seventh of the season past the Bronco netminder on the powerplay at 12:06. Dubinsky now has points in all 10 games he has played this year and goals in five straight contests. Kieper picked up an assist on the goal.

The Broncos rounded out the scoring at 17:21 on yet another powerplay. Ward took the shot and Pelletier buried a rebound past Kieper to make the score 7-3.

The Pats outshot the Broncos 17-9 in the final twenty minutes.

The Pats won their second straight and fourth of the season 7-3 while outshooting the Broncos 39-27 in the process.

“We got some puck luck tonight,” Pats head coach Dave Struch said. “Last night we did as well. Honestly, it’s the way we played throughout the losing streak, without the puck, to get the puck…this weekend, the goals went in for our guys. It was good to see. It’s a relief to see them have some luck and bear down.”

“I think it’s really good for us,” Howe said on the weekend, “I think we can keep rolling off these two wins and just go up from here.”

“They could have very well stayed frustrated over the course of time here,” Struch said. “But they worked hard in practice, they continued to do things right in the games to give them opportunities and I think they deserved the wins this weekend.”

Patterings… Matteo Michels drew into his second game of the season… Kieper’s 10th appearance has him tied for first in the league… Kieper stopped 24 of 27 shots while Poulter stopped 32 of 39 he faced… Bedard was tapped as first star, Nijhoff was second, and Kieper was third. The Pats’ next action is Wednesday, November 3 when they host the Trans Canada rival Moose Jaw Warriors.