Despite a two-goal second period, the Regina Pats surrendered three third-period goals and fell 5-3 in a back-and-forth game on the road at InnovationPlex against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday night.
It was a fast-paced opening in Swift Current, with three goals scored between the two teams in the first 10 minutes. The Broncos opened the scoring on their first shot of the game, as Anthony Wilson beat Pats goaltender Marek Schlenker at 1:12, with Brendan Rudolph and Jace McFaul picking up the assists. Regina responded just over three minutes later when Keets Fawcett notched his 24th goal of the season, capitalizing on a rebound off the pads of Broncos netminder Aiden Eskit following a Kolten Bridgeman point shot at 4:15 to tie the game. Swift Current, however, reclaimed the lead at 9:11, as a cutting Carter Moen finished a Parker Rondeau feed to beat Schlenker blocker side, putting the Broncos back in front.
In the middle frame, the Pats outshot their opponents 20-5, converted twice for a two-goal second period, and gained all the momentum heading into the final 20 minutes of action. Zach Moore pulled the Pats even at 12:13, cashing in on Ellis Mieyette's hard work around the net after Mieyette was denied on his initial attempt, but kept the play alive and slid the puck onto Moore's stick. Regina then grabbed the late lead in the period on the power play, as Caden Brown fed Maddox Schultz, whose wrist shot was redirected home by Ruslan Karimov for his 13th tally of the season at 16:08.
It was a quiet start to the third, but Swift Current would rise to the occasion with three third-period goals, beginning at 13:15. Pressuring in the Pats' zone, Jaxen Gauchier found a streaking McFaul in the slot. After receiving the pass, McFaul leaned into a shot that Schlenker turned aside, but he stayed with the play and buried his own rebound on the wraparound to tie the game. At 18:08, the Broncos struck again as Regina failed to clear its own zone. With the puck at the blue line, Brennan Brown teed up a backdoor pass onto the tape of Sawyer Dingman, who redirected the puck into the open net to give Swift Current a 4-3 lead. With a second remaining on the clock, Swift Current would add an empty-netter and secure a 5-3 win.
With the result, the Pats moved to 15-24-5-1 on the season. Pats' Schlenker stopped 23 of 27 shots he faced. At the other end, Broncos netminder Eskit turned aside 50 of 53 shots, with the final shots on goal being 53-28 in favour of Regina. On special teams, the Pats went 1-for-3, while the Broncos did not score on the man advantage, going 0-for-1 on the night.
Most notably, Fawcett secured his team-leading 24th goal of the season and extended his point streak to two games, while Schultz pushed his own point streak to four consecutive contests.
FINAL: Swift Current Broncos 5, Regina Pats 3
THE GOALS
First Period
Broncos 1-0 —#42 Anthony Wilson (11), assisted by #15 Brendan Rudolph, & #7 Jace McFaul at 1:12
McFaul made a stretch pass to Rudolph in the neutral zone, who carried the puck into the Regina zone before eventually finding Wilson in the slot for the tap-in goal at 1:12.
Pats 1-1 —#10 Keets Fawcett (24), assisted by #4 Kolten Bridgeman, & #37 Cohen Klassen at 4:15
Following a Bridgeman point shot, Fawcett picked up the rebound, made a move to his backhand, and tied the game at 4:15.
Broncos 2-1 —#12 Carter Moen (3), assisted by #17 Parker Rondeau at 9:11
Rondeau carried the puck through the neutral zone before stopping up at the Pats' blue line, finding a cutting Moen. With time and space, Moen beat Schlenker's blocker on the blocker side at 9:11.
Second Period
Pats 2-2 —#18 Zach Moore (6), assisted by #21 Ellis Mieyette, & #55 Ephram McNutt at 12:13
Mieyette, who had his original shot denied, worked hard behind the net to get the puck in front to Moore. The 19-year-old made no mistake, firing the puck into the net to tie the game at 4:35.
Pats 3-2 —#25 Ruslan Karimov (13), assisted by #19 Maddox Schultz, & #27 Caden Brown at 16:08 (PP)
On the man advantage, Brown shuffled a pass to Schultz, and he wired a shot towards the net that was deflected by Karimov and into the back of the net at 16:08.
Third Period
Broncos 3-3 —#7 Jace McFaul (9), assisted by #39 Jaxen Gauchier, & #32 Sawyer Dingman at 13:15
Gauchier fed McFaul, who was bursting into the Pats' zone, from the bottom right circle. McFaul was stopped on his initial chance from the slot, but he got his own rebound and wrapped it into the net at 13:15.
Broncos 4-3 —#32 Sawyer Dingman (11), assisted by #25 Brennan Brown, & #42 Anthony Wilson at 18:08
After a failed clearing attempt by the Pats, Brown found a wide-open Dingman backdoor for a tap-in goal at 18:08.
Broncos 5-3 —#25 Brennan Brown (3), assisted by #29 Hudson Darby at 19:59 (ENG)
Darby rang the puck around the boards, where it bounced onto Brown's stick, and he sent it the length of the ice into the empty net at 19:59.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 19 – 20 – 14 — 53
- Broncos: 11 – 5 – 12 — 28
Power Plays
- Pats: 1/3
- Broncos: 0/1
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 23 saves on 27 shots
- Broncos: Aiden Eskit — 50 saves on 53 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #70 Aiden Eskit (50 saves)
- Second Star: #32 Sawyer Dingman (1G, 1A)
- Third Star: #10 Keets Fawcett (1G)
COMING UP
The Pats open a three-game homestand against the Moose Jaw Warriors for First Responders Night on Saturday, January 31, at 6:00 p.m. You can hear the game on 620 CKRM starting at 5:30 p.m.
Regina will then kick off the month of February next Friday, February 6, at 7:00 p.m. for Bobblehead Night at the Brandt Centre against the Saskatoon Blades. You won't want to miss these action-packed games!
