The Regina Pats hosted the Brandon Wheat Kings in a Thanksgiving weekend tilt at the Brandt Centre. 3,480 fans at the Brandt Centre watched as local product Logen Hammett and rookie goaltender Carson Bjarnason helped lead the Wheat Kings to a 4-2 victory over the Pats.
After a two-win opening weekend, the Pats have now registered three straight defeats.
First Period
Despite some early chances, the Pats were not able to get anything by the rookie Wheat King netminder.
It took until halfway through the first period for Brandon to register their first shot on Pats goalie Matthew Kieper. They managed just six shots in the opening frame.
The Pats took a 13-6 shot clock lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
The tables turned early in the middle stanza and Brandon took control early. The Wheat Kings thought they had scored at 3:07 but it was determined that Rylen Roersma knocked the puck in with a high stick.
Brandon got on the board first when Chad Nychuk finished a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play beating Kieper at 6:59 of the second period. Riley Ginnell and Tyson Zimmer picked up the assists on the 1-0 goal.
Just before the midway point of the frame, Zimmer broke in on the Pats defender and got around him. Zimmer put on a beautiful deke and looked like he had Kieper down and out, but the Pats goalie was able to get a toe on the puck to keep it a one-goal game.
Cole Dubinsky picked up his first marker of the season to tie the game up. His shot deflected in off a Brandon defender. Connor Bedard and Logan Nijhoff picked up the helpers on the powerplay goal. The 1-1 goal came with 8:15 remaining in the second period.
The second period ended with the shot clock reading 25-18 for Regina (12-12 in the second).
Third Period
The third opened with the Wheat Kings on 1:51 of powerplay time, the Pats were able to kill it off.
Brandon’s powerplay was able to connect later in the third. Kieper was unable to get all of Hammett’s shot, which squeaked through the Pats netminder and the Wheat Kings took a 2-1 lead at 7:56 of the period. Hammett’s powerplay goal at 7:56 was assisted by Nychuk and Roersma.
With a faceoff in the Wheat Kings end, the Pats pulled Kieper with 1:53 left.
It did not take long for the Wheat Kings to capitalize as Nychuk added his second of the game at 18:24 (game-winner). The Pats again pulled Kieper for the extra attacker and Roersma made this one count just 16 seconds later (18:40) to give the Wheat Kings a 4-1 lead.
With 9.5 seconds left Cole Carrier deflected a Stanislav Svozil shot past Bjarnason to make the score 4-2.
The final shots were 41-27 for the Pats.
16-year-old Bjarnson ended with 39 saves, picking up his first career WHL win. Kieper made 23 saves in the loss.
Patterings… Pats defenseman Jake Johnson left the game in the first period with what appeared to be a lower-body injury… The three stars in the building were Bjarnason (first), Bedard (second), and Hammett (third)… The Pats’ next home game is Friday, September 15, when they host the Winnipeg ICE in the first game of a home-and-home set.
