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Regina Pats Win Game 3 of WHL Championship Series

May 10, 2017 - Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release


Kent, Wash. - Tyler Brown was lights out and Robbie Holmes scored the first game-winning goal of his WHL career as the Regina Pats eked out a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds to take Game 3 of the 2017 WHL Championship Series Tuesday night.

"It was a real gritty playoff game," said John Paddock, head coach and general manager of the Regina Pats, following Tuesday's victory. "Those kind of games are what the playoffs are all about - one-goal game, third one in a row. It says there isn't much difference between the teams. You've just got to grind it out and that's what we did."

Game Summary (http://whl.ca/gamecentre/1014552/boxscore) Playoff Statistics (http://whl.ca/stats) 2016 WHL Playoff Bracket (http://whl.ca/bracket/260)

The triumph gives Regina a 2-1 series lead, with Games 4 and 5 still to be played at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

"I thought we did some things well," said Steve Konowalchuk, head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds, following Tuesday's loss. "We took some penalties early and they got a couple, but we did some things well. They ended up scoring one more goal than us. We've got to regroup [Wednesday] and get back at it."

As for Brown - the first star of the game - he saved his best performance for the third period.

"Just stand tall," Brown said of his mindset over the final 20 minutes of regulation. "Do my best and battle right to the end so we could get the win."

With 3:34 to go and a 3-2 Pats lead still on the board, the veteran goaltender made his way from left to right, slamming the door on Thunderbirds captain Mathew Barzal, of all people, to preserve the one-goal edge. That save was particularly key, as it came on the heels of a colossal stop from Thunderbirds rookie goaltender Carl Stankowski.

After the media timeout in the third period, Barzal turned a puck over inside the Regina blueline, leaving it on the stick of the most dangerous man on the ice - Sam Steel. Wheeling through centre ice, Steel managed to fight off a hook from Ethan Bear, resulting in a delayed penalty call that resulted in a penalty shot for Steel. The CHL's regular season scoring champion opted to go backhand deke, but the 17-year-old Stankowski was up to the task, stretching out his left leg to slam the door and keep the Thunderbirds in it with little more than seven minutes to play in regulation. On top of it all, that save resulted in what was likely the loudest most enduring roar out of the ShoWare Center crowd all night.

Unfortunately for the hometown crowd, it was the Pats leaving with the last laugh, courtesy a nifty little effort from the 17-year-old rookie Holmes.

Burning down the left wing in the early stages of the second period, the 6-foot-3, 182-pounnd product of Sherwood Park, Alta., took a feed from Bryan Lockner, sending a wrist shot high short-side past Stankowski to put the Pats in front 3-2 only 4:49 into the middle period.

"I just saw Bryan pick up the puck and I think Sloboshan passed it to him," Holmes said. "Lockner saw me. I saw a little bit of room up top and just buried it.

"It's something pretty cool, something you always want to do. I'm pretty happy about it."

That marker - Holmes' third of the post-season - went to stand on as the game-winning tally.

"Our depth, in some ways, has been tested for the bottom six," Paddock said. "But they've also really risen to the occasion. We were talking about that this afternoon - to have Adam Brooks and Jake Leschyshyn out of your lineup and you just won a game in the finals and now we won another one - that's a testimony to that group. These guys have scored big goals... They've really grown as players in the last six weeks and we've needed them to. You can't lose the guys we've lost up front and not have somebody pick it up."

Tuesday night saw Game 3 provide a back-and-forth nail-biter for all those in attendance and it started right from the first puck drop.

With Barzal serving a hooking penalty, defenceman Connor Hobbs opened the scoring, unleashing an absolute rocket of a slapshot from the point, giving the visiting Pats a 1-0 lead only 3:27 into the festivities. A raucous, sold-out crowd of 6,178 at the ShoWare Center was momentarily silent as Regina took the driver's seat early in Game 3 courtesy Hobbs' sixth strike of the post-season.

It didn't take long for the Thunderbirds to reply as import forward Alexander True banged home a rebound 3:51 later collecting his 10^th goal of the playoffs, tying the game 1-1 and igniting a roar from the Seattle faithful. True's strike came with the aforementioned Hobbs serving a tripping minor.

"We've just got to be a little sharper on our chances," True said. "It's a good sign we're getting a lot of those good chances, we've just got to put them in the net."

Special teams dominated the first period of play as Wyatt Sloboshan was sent to the sin bin, also for tripping, moments later. On the ensuing advantage, True was once again left alone - this time in the slot - and he unleashed a hot wrist shot that forced Brown to break out the leather, making a fantastic glove save to keep the game knotted.

The parade to the penalty box continued as the period wore on. With defenceman Austin Strand serving a slashing minor, Chase Harrison sent a seeing-eye single into a crowd before it eventually worked its way through the five-hole of young Carl Stankowski. Harrison's first goal of the post-season gave the Pats the lead once again, this time with 12:27 to go in the first period.

Then it was quick puck movement that blew the roof off the barn in Kent. Taking a feed in the slot, Tyler Adams slipped a slick pass down low to Sami Moilanen, who worked his way across the crease, beating a helpless Brown to even the festivities with 5:12 to go in the opening period. The marker served as Moilanen's fifth of the post-season.

Following Holmes' second-period strike, the Thunderbirds threw everything and the kitchen sink at Brown and the Pats as time dwindled in the third period.

"I thought our possession down low was pretty solid, getting pucks to the net," Barzal said Tuesday. "I thought we did a pretty good job, especially in the third period, just cycling and working down low."

With 10:19 to go in regulation and a 3-2 Pats lead on the scoreboard, Keegan Kolesar created a 3-on-1 opportunity for the Thunderbirds by winning a puck battle with Hobbs at the top of the slot in Seattle territory. The other way went Barzal with the puck and after working his way through the left faceoff circle, tried to feed Donovan Neuls in tight. But the duo ran out of room as Brown managed to keep the attack at bay.

On the following shift, it was the Pats turn with an odd-man opportunity. Dawson Leedahl sent a laser-quick pass through the slot to a blazing Josh Mahura, who redirected the puck towards the Seattle cage, only to see Stankowski stretch out and make a shining save with the right pad to keep his club within a goal.

If all that wasn't exciting enough, Austin Wagner was tagged for cross-checking with 1:27 to go in regulation, giving the Thunderbirds one last opportunity to even the affair before the clock ran out. Konowalchuk immediately called for timeout to draw up a play and get his young netminder to the bench for the extra attacker.

Off the faceoff, Brown made a tremendous stop, once again battling to keep his cage safe. The onslaught continued and Brown withstood it all as the Pats held on to take Game 3 along with a 2-1 series lead. The product of Winnipeg finished the night with 35 saves, while Stankowski logged 25 stops.

"We've got to bounce back [Wednesday] and get real excited here," Barzal said. "I've got a lot of confidence in this group and we're a pretty lively good. I'm sure we're going to bring the energy [Wednesday]."

Game 4 of the 2017 WHL Championship Series presented by Rogers is scheduled for Wednesday (7:05 p.m. PT) at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

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