Despite scoring first, the Regina Pats dropped a 6-1 decision following a six-goal second period from the Wenatchee Wild at Town Toyota Center on Saturday night in their U.S. road trip finale.
The Pats opened the scoring for the first time on their six-game U.S. road trip late in the first, breaking through after a back-and-forth start. Starting in their own zone, Dayce Derkatch forced a turnover and poked the puck free for Keets Fawcett. The 19-year-old carried the puck through the neutral zone, eased up with poise, and snapped a wrist shot over the blocker of Wild goaltender Tobias Tvrznik to make it 1-0 at 15:43 – the only goal of the period.
However, the tables would turn in the middle frame, with six straight goals being scored for Wenatchee. Nolan Caffey scooped up a scrambling puck in the Pats’ zone and found Josh Fluker in the slot. Fluker hesitated for a moment before firing a wrist shot past Regina goaltender Matthew Hutchison to even the score at 2:13. A neutral-zone turnover would then prove costly for Regina just over five minutes later as Sam Elliott won a race to the puck and sent Luka Shcherbyna in alone. The 19-year-old went forehand-backhand and tucked it past Hutchison, putting Wenatchee ahead at 7:38 with a short-handed tally. Then at 12:17 on the power-play, Tvrznik launched a stretch pass to Mason Kraft, who quickly sent a pass to Michal Copes. Copes made no mistake, burying his first WHL goal to make it 3-1. Fluker and Blake Vanek would connect with Maddix McCagherty at 14:54 to make it 4-1 and chase Hutchison out of the crease, before Shcherbyna would strike twice more, completing a second-period hat-trick and giving Wenatchee a commanding 6-1 lead after 40 minutes.
In the third, the two teams traded power-play chances, but neither could score. The game ended with a 6-1 final after the Wild compiled six consecutive goals in the middle frame. After Saturday’s game, Regina moved to 9-15-2-1 on the season. Pats’ Hutchison stopped 10 of 14 shots before being relieved by Marek Schlenker in the second period, who made 10 saves. At the other end, Wild netminder Tvrznik turned aside 25 of 26 shots, with the final shots on goal even at 26-26. On special teams, the Pats went scoreless, going 0-for-2, and the Wild were 3-for-6. Most notably, Fawcett notched his 18th goal of the season, tying the team lead among Pats skaters, making this his third straight game with a goal. As a result, Fawcett moves one shy of tying his career-high in a season (19).
FINAL: Wenatchee Wild 6, Regina Pats 1
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 —#10 Keets Fawcett (18), assisted by #49 Dayce Derkatch at 15:43
Derkatch poked a puck free in the Pats’ zone, springing Fawcett. The 19-year-old carried it over the Wild blue line, slowed up, cut into the slot, and wired home a wrist shot to open the scoring at 15:43.
Second Period
Wild 1-1 —#5 Josh Fluker (2), assisted by #15 Nolan Caffey at 2:13
Caffey picked up a loose puck in the Pats’ zone and fed Fluker in the slot, where he buried it to tie the game at 2:13.
Wild 2-1 —#27 Luka Shcherbyna (9), assisted by #23 Sam Elliott at 7:38 (SHG)
After a Pats turnover in the neutral zone, Elliott won a footrace and fed Shcherbyna alone in front. The 19-year-old made a move to his backhand and slid it home to give Wenatchee a 2-1 lead at 7:38.
Wild 3-1 —#16 Michal Capos (1), assisted by #11 Mason Kraft, & #31 Tobias Tvrznik (PP) at 12:17
With the Pats completing a line change, Tvrznik made a long stretch pass to the Pats’ blue line, finding Kraft, who set up Capos for his first career WHL goal in the slot at 12:17.
Wild 4-1 —#10 Maddix McCagherty (5), assisted by #17 Blake Vanek, & #5 Josh Fluker at 14:54
Fluker and Vanek cycled the puck below the goal line and found McCagherty at the point. McCagherty walked in, deked a Pats defender, and fired a wrist shot past Hutchison at 14:54.
Wild 5-1 —#27 Luka Shcherbyna (10), assisted by #17 Blake Vanek, & #12 Brandon Osborne (PP) at 16:48
Off a Wild faceoff win, Osborne slid a pass across the blue line to Vanek. He then went cross-ice, finding Shcherbyna back door, and he tapped home his second of the game on the man advantage at 16:48.
Wild 6-1 —#27 Luka Shcherbyna (11), assisted by #12 Brandon Osborne, & #29 Rui Han (PP) at 18:59
On the power play again, Osborne put a shot on goal and Scherbyna cleaned up the rebound for his natural hat-trick at 18:59.
Third Period
No Scoring.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 10 – 5 – 11 — 26
- Wild: 7 – 11 – 8— 26
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/2
- Wild: 3/6
Goaltending
- Pats: Matthew Hutchison — 10 saves on 14 shots, Marek Schlenker — 10 saves on 12 shots
- Wild: Tobias Tvrznik — 25 saves on 26 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #27 Luka Shcherbyna (3G)
- Second Star: #5 Josh Fluker (1G, 1A)
- Third Star: #16 Michal Capos (1G)
COMING UP
The Pats return to Regina to kick off their December schedule on Friday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m., hosting their Deck the Rink game against the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Brandt Centre. They’ll then hit the road again for a Sunday matinee in Saskatoon to take on the Blades at 4:00 p.m. on December 7.
