GAME DAY PREVIEW: Pats Look to Bounce Back Friday in P.A.
December 30, 2016 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Regina Pats News Release
The Regina Pats (23-3-6-1) hit the road Friday night to take on the Prince Albert Raiders (8-27-1-1). Puck drop is at 7 p.m. from the Art Hauser Centre. The Pats were last in action on Wednesday and dropped a shootout decision in Brandon to the Wheat Kings 2-1. The Raiders are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday. Tonight is the fourth of eight meetings between the Pats and Raiders. The Pats are 2-0-1-0 in the season series so far. Tonight's game can be heard on 620 CKRM with Bennett Dunlop Ford Pats Hockey beginning at 6:35 p.m.
Regular Season Comparison Regina Prince Albert
Record 23-3-6-1 8-27-1-1
Goals For/Against 177/104 (+73) 86/146 (-60)
Powerplay 29.6% (42/142) 12.4% (20/161)
Penalty Kill 81.7% (143/175) 77.4% (113/146)
Team Save Percentage 0.899 0.890
Leading Scorer Brooks/Steel (59 points) Simon Stransky (12-17-29)
Leading Scorer (Defence) Connor Hobbs (15-24-39) Max Martin (5-7-12)
Scoring by Period (1st-2nd-3rd-OT) 54-51-69-3 22-30-31-3
Lead Up: Pats Lose in Shootout Wednesday in Brandon
The Pats dropped their first shootout game of the year on Wednesday night to the Brandon Wheat Kings, 2-1 the final score. The Pats opened the scoring on the powerplay thanks to Nick Henry in the first period. Ty Lewis tied the game for Brandon later in the frame. The goaltenders took over from there and the game went to a shootout, tied 1-1. Tyler Coulter scored the lone goal in the penalty shots and the Wheat Kings took the extra point. Tyler Brown earned second star honours, making 34 saves in the loss. Logan Thompson of the Wheat Kings was the first star with 39 saves in the Brandon goal. The loss drops the Pats record to 23-3-6-1 on the season.
Head to Head
The Pats hold a 2-0-1-0 record against the Raiders so far this season. The Raiders won the first meeting of the year on opening night in overtime. The Pats then won in P.A. in game two of the year and then 12-2 on December 3 at the Brandt Centre. The Pats have outscored P.A. 17-7 in the three games and outshot them 137-76. The Pats have gone 3 for 10 and the penalty kill 12 for 15 with a shorthanded goal. Sergey Zborovskiy has seven points against P.A. and Jake Leschyshyn has five. The Raiders Simon Stransky has six points against the Pats this year.
Brooks and Steel On Top
Pats forwards Adam Brooks and Sam Steel are tied atop the WHL in scoring with 59 points. Brooks pick up an assist on the Pats lone goal against Brandon on Wednesday to tie Steel in the scoring race. Both players have played in 27 games and average 2.19 points per game. That is far and away the best points per game average in the WHL. Steel enters Friday with a team leading 24 goals, which is tied for sixth in the league. Brooks has 39 assists on the season, second most in the WHL. Brooks won the scoring title last year and has been kept off the score sheet just twice this year. Steel has been kept pointless just four times in 27 games.
Penalty Kill Streaking
In their last three plus games, the Pats penalty kill has gone 17 for 17 with two shorthanded goals. The Pats went four for four against Brandon on Wednesday and 10 for 10 the night before against the Wheat Kings. The Pats killed three in a row to end their game against the Warriors before the Christmas break as well. The solid stretch down a man has the Pats PK up to 81.7 per cent, sixth best in the WHL and they lead the league with 16 shorthanded goals.
Upcoming Schedule
Pats Vs Prince Albert - January 1, 4 p.m. - Brandt Centre (CKRM)
Pats @ Medicine Hat - January 3, 8 p.m. - Canalta Centre (CKRM)
Pats Vs Calgary - January 6, 7 p.m. - Brandt Centre.
Western Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2016
- T-Birds Acquire Austin Strand from Rebels - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Thurkauf Signs ELC with Blue Jackets - Kelowna Rockets
- Oilers Sign Benson - Vancouver Giants
- GAME DAY PREVIEW: Pats Look to Bounce Back Friday in P.A. - Regina Pats
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.
