WHL Regina Pats

Blades Stymie Pats

Published on March 25, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Regina Pats News Release


Saskatoon, Sask. - The Regina Pats couldn't muster much offence on Friday night in Saskatoon, as they lost 3-1 to the Blades in a game where they only managed to fire 24 shots on goal.

The win for the Blades (34-22-3-1) means they have officially clinched a post-season berth.

It was an exciting back and forth opening period with 13 shots on goal apiece and a 1-1 score, but the Pats were out-shot 31-11 in the final 40 minutes of play.

"I think we were way too casual with the puck," Pats assistant coach Brad Herauf said on the post-game show on 620 CKRM. "I think we just showed our youth today up front and [with] our puck decisions. I felt like we didn't give ourselves much rhythm to the game at all because we were turning over the pucks and we were playing right into their hands, the kind of game they want."

Saskatoon got goals from Egor Sidorov, Marek Schneider and Tristen Robins, one in each period. Schneider's tally was his first in the Western Hockey League and held up as the game-winner.

The lone Pats goal came off the stick of captain Logan Nijhoff, on a power play in the first period, for his 17th goal of the season.

Regina's power play went 1-for-2, while their penalty kill went perfect 4-for-4.

Click for Boxscore

The Pats still sit in 10th in the Eastern Conference standings with 51 points, four back of the 8th-place Swift Current Broncos, with three games in hand on them. Prince Albert lost in regulation on Friday, so they remain in 9th with 53 points. The Pats have a game in hand on the Raiders and still play them twice more this season. Calgary is in 11th place, one point back of Regina, but the Pats have a game in hand on them.

THE GOALS

1st Period

SAS 1-0 at 15:21- Egor Sidorov (18), assisted by Josh Pillar // Pillar held in a clearing attempt along the left boards and then chipped it down low for Sidorov, who was in behind the Pats defence and quickly fired a low shot from the left circle that beat Sim on the short side.

REG 1-1 at 16:52 - Logan Nijhoff (17), assisted by Tanner Howe (35) and Ryker Evans (43) (PPG) // Howe dished it down low to Nijhoff at the goal line on the power play, who chipped a backhand shot past Chadwick on the glove side to tie the game.

2nd Period

SAS 2-1 at 16:14 - Marek Schneider (1), assisted by Kyren Gronick and Misha Volotovskii // Following a battle for the puck behind the net between multiple players, the biscuit popped out to Schneider at the top of the right circle, who pounded it home for his first career WHL goal.

3rd Period

SAS 3-1 at 3:11 - Tristen Robins (32), assisted by Kyren Gronick and Charlie Wright // Robins used his speed to get to the loose puck first after a cross-ice bank pass through the neutral zone and was able to cut his way to the net and tuck it home on the forehand.

FINAL: Pats 1 | Blades 3

STATISTICS

SOG: REG - 24 | SAS - 44

PP: REG - 1/2 | SAS - 0/4

Face-Offs: REG - 34 | SAS - 35

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Regina: Drew Sim played his best game of the season, stopping 41 of the 44 shots he faced, including 20 stops in the second period alone. He did everything he could to keep the Pats in the game.

Sasakatoon: Ethan Chadwick had a busy first period with 12 saves on 13 shots, but only needed to make 23 saves in the end.

THEY SAID IT

Pats Assistant Coach Brad Herauf: "The start of the third period we didn't get a shot on our power play; we didn't get a shot in our 6-on-5. Guys were trying to make the extra pass tonight. Trying to make a fancy play and we were creating nothing off of it. And they were creating everything off of them, so that they got a little bit of momentum off our puck mistakes...they generated [their chances] off of our mistakes: we were missing the net high and wide to break them out, wee were turning the puck over [allowing] them to join the rush. They had three breakaways there in the first and the third period that was all based off of what we were doing, and we were just giving it to them. And we weren't giving it to them through effort, we were giving it just through bad puck decisions."

Herauf on Sim's performance: "We see Drew battling. He wants to get back on track as much as anybody. The way he battled today, he gave us a chance to win. And that's what your job is in this league, is your goalie needs to give you a chance to win and Drew did that and more tonight. He held us in the first period [when] we weren't managing the puck very well [and] we weren't creating much rhythm in our game, he held us in there to allow us to kind of find our way back."

3 STARS

Marek Schneider - SAS: 1st WHL Goal (GWG), 4 SOG

Ethan Chadwick - SAS: 23 saves on 24 shots

Kyren Gronick- SAS: 2A

UP NEXT

The Pats next game is tomorrow, Saturday, March 26 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. For tickets, click here.

They have two home games next week, a rematch with the Blades on Wednesday, March 30 and a home date with the Winnipeg ICE on Friday, April 1.

Check out the Regina Pats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from March 25, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central