Regina, Sask. – Former Regina Pats captain Tanner Howe returned to the Brandt Centre on Wednesday night and picked up an assist as the Calgary Hitmen defeated the Pats 5-0.
Oliver Tulk (2G-1A) led the way with three points, while Daniel Hauser made 14 saves for his 14th career shutout and second this season. Ethan Moore, Ethan Merner and Brandon Gorzynski rounded out the scoring for Calgary, who improved to 2-2 on their Eastern Division road trip.
The Pats battled hard, especially with the difficult cards they were dealt. The club played with just nine forwards and six defencemen and held things close through 40 minutes of play. The Pats were without key players: Zachary Lansard, Cohen Klassen, Julien Maze, Zach Pantelakis, Dayton Deschamps and Caden Brown.
Mathis Paull was called up and made his WHL debut, becoming the second 15-year-old to play for the Pats this season. Ewan Huet also gave the Pats a great chance to win with 38 saves.
FINAL SCORE: Hitmen 5, Pats 0
THE GOALS
First Period
1-0: Hitmen at 13:16 – Ethan Merner (3), assisted by Noah Kosick & Dax Williams // Kosick’s pass to the front of the Pats net, found Merner in front, and he put it past Huet to make it 1-0 Hitmen.
2-0: Hitmen at 14:30 – Brandon Gorzynski (12), assisted by Carson Wetsch & Sawyer Mynio // Wetsch, got past a Pats defender, and the Hitmen broke in two-on-one. Wetsch then sent a pass that connected with Gorzynski in front of the net, and he tipped the puck past Huet to make it 2-0 for the visitors.
Second Period
3-0: Hitmen at 18:20 – Oliver Tulk (34), unassisted // Tulk picked up a loose puck in the Pats zone, went in alone on Huet, and tucked it past the Pats netminder to make it 3-0.
Third Period
4-0: Hitmen at 12:32 – Oliver Tulk (35), assisted by Dax Williams // Tulk, carried the puck on the left wing side, and his pass to the front of the net caromed off a Pats defender past Huet to give the Hitmen a 4-0 lead.
5-0: Hitmen at 15:53 – Ethan Moore (14), assisted by Oliver Tulk & Tanner Howe // The puck got near the crease area, and the Hitmen had multiple swipes at the puck, with Moore getting the last touch as it squeaked past Huet to make it 5-0 Hitmen.
THE STATISTICS
SOG: Regina – 5-7-2–14 | Calgary – 13-14-16–43
PP: Regina – 0/1 | Calgary – 0/1
THE GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Ewan Huet (38 saves / 43 shots)
Calgary: Daniel Hauser (14 saves / 14 shots)
THE 3 STARS
First: Carson Wetsch (1A) – Hitmen
Second: Ewan Huet (38 SV) – Pats
Third: Tanner Howe (1A) – Hitmen
JUST NOTES
- Mathis Paull made his Pat debut, becoming the 1,452nd player in franchise history to play in a regular season or playoff game.
- The Hitmen won the season series 4-0 against the Pats this season.
- The Pats have been shutout in back-to-back games and for the fifth time this season.
- Regina fell to 14-34-5-2, while the Hitmen improved to 35-15-3-2.
COMING UP
The Queen City kids hit the road on Friday as they travel to Swift Current to play the Broncos. The Pats return to home ice the next night, February 20, as they face the Prince Albert Raiders at the Brandt Centre. Get your tickets at ReginaPats.com.
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