The Regina Pats toughest test of the season will begin on Friday when they meet the Winnipeg ICE at the Brandt Centre.

This evening’s matchup kicks off a three-game stretch where the Pats meet the top three teams in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.

On Saturday, the Pats host Red Deer and then they will conclude the weekend entertaining the Saskatoon Blades.

Regina has been rolling as of late, winners of their last four. With the recent winning streak, they have provided themselves some cushion in the playoff race. They currently have 61 points and 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Medicine Hat trails the Pats by two points and Swift Current holds the final playoff spot with 57 points. Calgary is on the outside looking in with 56 points.

Earlier this week, Alexander Suzdalev was named the Rookie of the Month in the WHL for his 15-point effort in February. The Washington Capitals prospect has a sizeable lead in the overall scoring race for first-year players. He leads all rookie scorers in the WHL with 75 points (34G-41A). In second spot is Gracyn Sawchyn of Seattle who has 57 points.

Winnipeg heads into this evening’s matchup on top of the Eastern Conference of 97 points (48-8-1), 14 points ahead of the Saskatoon Blades. The ICE suffered a rare loss in their last matchup on Wednesday against Medicine Hat which snapped an 11-game winning streak, before Wednesday, the ICE’s last loss was against the Blades on February 4.

The ICE have been spending a lot of time on the road lately, tonight is the eighth game of a ten game road trip. This will be the second time Winnipeg will visit the Brandt Centre during the trip. They earned a 7-4 win over the Pats on February 18.

Coverage for tonight’s game on 620 CKRM begins with the pre-game show at 6:35, the opening faceoff is 7:00.