Regina 3 Brandon 2
While many were looking at the Regina Pats (20-18-3-0) bringing in Jared Legeien recently as not the big splash they were expecting, it is tough to argue with the impact he has had. After potting two goals and adding an assist in Regina’s 3-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings (25-12-0-1) Wednesday, Legien has a four-game point streak since becoming a Pat and six points overall. More importantly for Regina, all four of those games were wins.
Wednesday night saw the three-game winning and losing streaks for Regina and Brandon continue. Matt Bradley added two points for Regina while goalie Tyler Brown turned away 28 of 30.
Brandon netminder Logan Thompson was much busier than Brown as he faced 58 shots and stopped 58 of them.
Brandon took their only lead of the game in the first period as, while on the power play, Zach Wytnick drove the net and tipped home a back door pass by Evan Weinger on the rush.
In the second, Bradley knotted the score at one. Bradley forced a turnover in the corner and Legien got to the ensuing loose puck ultimately finding Bradley alone in front for his 25th this year.
Legien then gave the Pats the lead in the third period. He found the rebound after a Josh Mahura shot on the power play was tipped on Thompson by Jake Leschyshyn.
Ty Lewis tied the game again with a marker 5:32 into the final frame. He drove by defenseman Liam Scholer and beat Brown on the blocker side.
Legien netted the winner as Bradley found him on the rush and he used his speed to get on tight with Thompson, before backhanding a shot inside the near post. The marker was his 16th this season.
Regina next plays Saturday in Swift Current, while Brandon hosts those same Broncos on Friday.
Swift Current 5 Kootenay 3
The Kootenay ICE (18-19-3-0) needed a fast start Wednesday night with the tired legs in their lineup. They were playing their sixth game in eight nights including rare Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday trio. They did get two early goals, but the Swift Current Broncos (27-10-2-0), who were coming in losing three straight overwhelmed them and took the game 5-3.
Matteo Gennaro and Kole Gable each had three points for the Broncos, while Kaden Elder added two markers. Logan Flodell stopped 30 of 33 in the Swift Current win.
Brad Ginnell, who was recently brought in from Portland via trade, started the scoring with his first with the ICE. He drove the net and took a feed from behind the net from Colton Croeker, beating Flodell.
Alec Baer then notched his third goal in three games, finishing off a two-on-zero rush with Keenan Taphorn.
The Broncos got some life with only 36 seconds left in the opening frame. Sahvan Khaira netted a short-handed goal, after picking the pocket of 16-year-old Peyton Krebs to cut the Kootenay lead to one.
Elder then tied the game 8:32 into the second. He was found in front by Gable and shuffled the puck by Kootenay goalie Bailey Brkin.
Max Patterson gave the Broncos their first lead 1:40 into the final frame. Gennaro forced a giveaway behind the ICE net and backhanded a pass to Patterson. The marker was Patterson’s eighth point in his last eight games. It also came against the team that traded him away in September.
Cameron Hausinger wristed a shot by Flodell midway through the third to tie the score at three.
The tie would not last as Gennaro danced around the Kootenay defense in tight on Brkin and while being checked to the ice, beat the Kootenay goalie by his right pad. It was Gennaro’s 22nd on the season.
Elder added an empty-net-goal with 1:59 left to finalize the score at 5-3.
Brkin stopped 36 of 40 in the loss. Kootenay was 0/4 on the power play, while Swift Current was 0/1.
The ICE play yet again on Friday in Prince Albert. The Broncos, who look tot be without Artyom Minulin, Aleski Heponiemi and Tyler Steenbergen through the weekend, play in Brandon that same night.
