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WHL Regina Pats

Pats Down Winterhawks 4-3 on Saturday

January 14, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Regina Pats News Release


Regina, Sask. - The Regina Pats capped off a perfect weekend with a 4-3 win over the visiting Portland Winterhawks Saturday night before 5,403 spectators at the Brandt Centre.

Connor Bedard tallied two goals, including his seventh game-winner of the season, tying Jagger Firkus for the league lead, as he scored on a breakaway to give the Pats a 4-3 lead late in the third period. Braxton Whitehead scored for a second straight game and Alexander Suzdalev (1G-1A) recorded his 23rd of the season in the win. Drew Sim stopped 30 of 33 shots directed his way as he collected his third-straight win.

The game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, before the teams combined for five markers in the second period with the Pats carrying a 4-3 lead into the final stanza. Both teams were held off the scoresheet in the final frame. The win is the Pats 20th of the season and the Pats third-straight victory.

Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Diego Buttazzoni, and Gabe Klassen replied for the Winterhawks, as they finished their Eastern Division swing 2-4-0. Dante Giannuzi made 34 saves on 38 shots, as he dropped his second straight start.

THE GOALS

First Period

Whitehead opens the scoring!

Make it 3 goals in his last 6 games now!

REG 1-0 at 4:38 - Braxton Whitehead (5), assisted by Stanislav Svozil and Tanner Brown (4-on-4) // Brown got the puck along the right boards and passed it to Svozil at the point, where he sent a shot toward the Winterhawks net and Whitehead got a piece of the puck to tip it past Giannuzi to give the Pats a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.

POR 1-1 at 8:42 - Robbie Fromm-Delorme (21), assisted by Gabe Klassen and Luca Cagnoni (PP) // With the Winterhawks on the powerplay, Klassen's long shot was originally stopped by Sim but he had trouble with the rebound and Fromm-Delorme grabbed the puck and put it past the Pats netminder to even the score at 1-1.

Second Period

POR 1-2 at 2:35 - Diego Buttazzoni (2), assisted by Marcus Nguyen and Kyle Chyzowski // A Winterhawks shot deflected high up into the air and as it was coming down beside the Pats' goal, Buttazzoni tipped it past Sim to give the Winterhawks their first lead of the game at 2-1.

REG 2-2 at 7:23 - Alexander Suzdalev (23), assisted by Connor Bedard //Right off of an offensive zone faceoff, the puck squirted to Suzdalev in front of the net and in a split second , hewent between the legs and buried the puck to tie the game up at 2-2.

REG 3-2 at 9:20 - Connor Bedard (35), unassisted (PP) // Bedard grabbed the puck deep in the Winterhawks zone and got in close on Giannuzi, and wired a shot high past the Winterhawks netminder to give the Pats a one-goal lead at 3-2.

POR 3-3 at 17:47 - Gabe Klassen (22), assisted by Ryder Thompson (4-on-4) // With the teams playing four-on-four, the Winterhawks gained the Pats zone and carried the play for quite some time and Klassen split through the defence and from the slot fired the puck past Sim to tie the game late in the middle forty.

REG 4-3 at 18:28 - Connor Bedard (36), assisted by Alexander Suzdalev // Bedard just finished serving a minor penalty, got out of the penalty box and was sprung on a breakaway and he made no mistake, tucking home the puck through the five-hole to give the Pats the 4-3 lead late in the middle stanza.

Third Period

No Scoring.

STATISTICS

SOG: REG - 17-13-8-38 | POR 15-5-13-33

PP: REG - 1/2 | POR - 1/5

Face-Offs: REG - 27 | POR - 29

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Regina: Drew Sim (33 shots/30 saves)

Portland: Dante Giannuzi (38 shots/34 saves)

3 STARS

First: Suzdalev (1G-1A, +2, 7 shots) - Pats

Second: Bedard (2G, +2, 10 shots) - Pats

Third: Gianuzzi (34 saves on 38 shots) - Winterhawks

NOTES

Connor Bedard extended his point streak to 30 games when he scored his 35th goal of the season in the second period. He finished the game with two points (2G) and now has 56 points in his last 19 games. Despite missing 11 games, Bedard leads the WHL in goals (36), assists (41), points (77), and shots on goal (204). He now has seven goals and 13 points in three games since coming back from the World Juniors.

Stanislav Svozil had an assist and now has five points in his two games since returning from the World Juniors. His 37 assists have him tied for second in the league.

Alexander Suzdalev picked up two points (1G-1A) to extend his point-streak to three games (2G-4A).

Braxton Whitehead scored for the second consecutive game and now has three markers in his last six games.

The Pats improved to .500 (4-4 ) in the second half of the season.

The last time the Pats hosted the Winterhawks at the Brandt Centre was over four years ago, back on January 9, 2019, which was a 5-2 Portland win. It's the Pats first victory over the Winterhawks since October 9, 2012 snapping a seven-game losing-streak versus Portland.

The Pats have averaged 5,527 fans over the two-game weekend set (5,651 and 5,403).

UP NEXT

The Pats' next action is Friday, January 20th when they travel to Swift Current for the first half of a weekend home-and-home against the Broncos at 7:00 P.M. at the InnovationPlex. They then return home for the second half against the Broncos on Saturday, January 21st with a 7:00 P.M. face-off at the Brandt Centre. It's the Winterhawks' first visit to Regina since January 9, 2019, a 5-2 loss. You can purchase your tickets for the game here.

Check out the Regina Pats Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 14, 2023


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