Keith Hershmiller/WHL

Warriors battle back to beat the Pats in OT

 

This year’s version of the Trans-Canada Clash takes on a different flavor in the Regina Hub. The Saskatchewan rivals that are a 45-minute drive from each other along Highway #1 would normally be playing in front of packed houses.

The unbeaten Moose Jaw Warriors and winless Regina Pats faced off in the first contest between the clubs in the 2020-21 season. The game was full of momentum changes and a multi-goal comeback.

It also featured the first matchup between gifted 15-year-olds Connor Bedard and Brayden Yager.

The Warriors scored the final four goals in the contest. Warrior captain Daemon Hunt scored the overtime winner as the Warriors won round one 5-4.

The Pats stormed out of the gate in this one. Pat defenseman Tom Cadieux scored at 2:48 of the first period with a long wrist shot that beat Boston Bilous.

The Regina Pats celebrating a Carson Denomie goal
(Photo – Keith Hershmiller/WHL)

The Pats kept the momentum up and former Warrior Carson Denomie scored a pair of goals just over two and a half minutes apart just before the midway point for the frame. Bedard assisted on both, giving him six points in three games so far.

With the Pats up 3-0, the Warriors’ 15-year-old scored his first WHL goal on a tip that eluded the Pat netminder.

Cole Dubinsky scores against Moose Jaw (Photo – Keith Hershmiller/WHL)

Less than a minute later Cole Dubinsky restored the Pats’ three-goal lead. The Warriors replaced goaltender Bilous with Brett Mirwald.

The wheels started to fall off for the Pats who took four straight minor penalties and the momentum started swinging over to the Warrior side of things.

“Penalties,” Pats head coach Dave Struch said. “We had lots of momentum, we had good flow in our game and we took some penalties at an unfortunate time, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. That ends up fatiguing you, it took away a lot of our flow and the momentum. We have to be better in that area for us to maintain that momentum and maybe have come out with a win.”

Tate Popple scores against Roddy Ross
(Photo – Keith Hershmiller/WHL)

The Pats headed into the second period down two players and the Warriors capitalized. Tate Popple scored just 23 seconds into the second to cut the Pats lead to two goals at 4-2.

“I thought that because of the penalties we took there, our fatigue took over a little bit,”  Struch said. “The fatigue hit us tonight because of the penalties. We have six, seven guys that are on the ice upfront as penalty killers. They played too much tonight for sure because of it,” he continued “the guys on the backend that took some of the penalties were in the penalty box at those times.”

Eric Alarie scores against Roddy Ross
(Photo – Keith Hershmiller/WHL)

Eric Alarie added to the Warriors’ total before the second period was half over. He took a long-distance pass in alone and beat Roddy Ross blocker side to pull the Warriors to within one.

The momentum was now clearly in Moose Jaw’s favor. Just 1:03 into the third period Ryder Korczak scored his first, tying the game at four.

The Pats started getting their legs back and the see-saw battle but could not beat the Warrior goaltender. The score would end up at a 4-4 stalemate through regulation time.

The Pats tested the waters of overtime for the first time in the hub. The Warriors played their third straight extra-time game.

Hunt ended the game at 1:43 of overtime. He received a pass from Yager and neatly tucked the puck past the Pat netminder.

Overall, Struch was proud of his team and how they performed late in the game. “You play to win every night. There was more sense of urgency and intensity at the start of the third after they scored. Our guys handled it well, our guys had energy our work ethic was maintained throughout the game. We haven’t seen a downfall of our energy, we’ve reacted well to everything as far as when the opposition has scored. Those are things that we have to learn from and get good at because it’s going to happen in the game of hockey. I thought our guys did a good job with that tonight.”

“We had a good first period.” Pats alternate captain Ryker Evans who collected two assists said “(We) played one of our best periods with the way we like to play. We just couldn’t find a way to win today.”

On what it will take for the Pats to get that first win, Evans continued, “We have to bear down, and do the little things right to get that victory.”

As for the battle between fifteen-year-olds Bedard and Yager, Struch said “They’re just going to play their game they’re both mature young men and good hockey players. They’re going to play hockey to expand and develop as young men and young players to get on to the next level. I’m not sure there’s going to be a rivalry, I think that the rivalry stays within the team aspect of it and they’ve got us by one win.”

Just notes

The Pats finished the game 1-for-3 on the powerplay while killing 4 of 5 penalties. They also outshot the Warriors 43-32 in the loss.

Bilous stopped 12 of 16 shots before being replaced. Mirwald stopped all 27 shots he faced, picking up the win in his first WHL appearance. Ross finished with 27 saves in the loss.

Korczak (first), Denomie (second), and Hunt (third) picked up the three-star honors in the game.