Five different goal scorers and a rock-solid night in net from Taylor Tabashniuk powered the Regina Pats to a 5–2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night at the Brandt Centre.
The win capped a 3–1 season series in favour of Regina and marked the Pats’ fifth straight victory, their first winning streak of five or more games since Feb. 20–Mar 4, 2023, when they rattled off six in a row en route to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Regina struck first just 3:38 into the opening period when Mathis Paull finished a crisp two-on-one, ripping home a cross-ice feed from Ephram McNutt after Liam Pue chipped the puck ahead to spring the rush. Edmonton responded quickly, capitalizing on a turnover as Carter Sotheran walked into the slot and beat Tabashniuk to tie the game 1–1.
Special teams tilted the momentum in the second period. Keets Fawcett restored the Pats’ lead on the power play at 13:27, converting an odd-man rush after a slick feed from Zachary Lansard. Less than two minutes later, Ruslan Karimov extended the advantage to 3–1 with a nice redirection in front, again on the man advantage. Regina kept the pressure on late in the frame as Lansard made it 4–1 at 18:37 during four-on-four play, snapping a shot past Ethan Simcoe from the right circle.
Edmonton pushed back in the third, cutting the deficit to 4–2 when Noa Ta’amu found space in the high slot and beat a screened Tabashniuk midway through the period. From there, the Pats’ goaltender slammed the door, turning aside 15 Oil Kings shots in the final 20 minutes. Jace Egland sealed the outcome with an empty-netter at 18:39, his shot from centre ice icing the victory.
Tabashniuk finished the night with 34 saves on 36 shots, earning first-star honours as Regina weathered a 36–25 shot deficit. The Pats went 2-for-5 on the power play, while holding Edmonton scoreless on its lone opportunity.
FINAL: Regina Pats 5, Edmonton Oil Kings 2
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 — #32 Mathis Paull (4), assisted by #55 Ephram McNutt & #13 Liam Pue at 3:38 // Pue chipped the puck up to McNutt, who broke in on a two-on-one with Paull. McNutt then sent a cross-ice pass to Paull, who made no mistake and ripped it home to make it 1-0 Pats early in the contest.
Oil Kings 1-1 — #24 Carter Sotheran (16), unassisted at 4:37 // After a turnover at the line, Sotheran walked into the slot, and sent a wrist shot that beat Tabashniuk to even things up at 1-1.
Second Period
Pats 2-1 — #10 Keets Fawcett (27), assisted by #57 Zachary Lansard & #44 Matt Paranych at 13:27 (PP) // The Pats broke in on an odd-man rush where Lansard sent a pass to a streaking Fawcett who broke in alone and put it home to give the Pats a 2-1 lead.
Pats 3-1 — #25 Ruslan Karimov (14), assisted by #27 Caden Brown & #6 Reese Hamilton at 15:01 (PP) // Hamilton passed the puck to Brown deep in the Oil Kings zone, he spun and sent a pass to the front of the net where Karimov got a piece of the puck to redirect it past Simcoe to extend the Pats lead to 3-1.
Pats 4-1 — #57 Zachary Lansard (19), assisted by #44 Matt Paranych & #6 Reese Hamilton at 18:37 (4-on-4) // Paranych carried the puck in over the Oil Kings blueline and sent a pass to Lansard at the right circle, his shot beat Simcoe high to the blocker side to make it 4-1 Pats.
Third Period
Oil Kings 4-2 — #5 Noa Ta’amu (3), assisted by #14 Dylan Dean at 10:15 // Ta’amu got the pass in the high slot, and his wrist shot beat a screened Tabashniuk to make it 4-2 midway through the third period.
Pats 5-2 — #24 Jace Egland (10), unassisted at 18:39 (EN) // Egland’s shot from centre ice hit the empty net to seal the Pats win.
Shots on Goal
• Pats: 6 – 14 – 5 — 25
• Oil Kings: 10 – 10 – 16 — 36
Power Plays
• Pats: 2/5
• Oil Kings: 0/1
Goaltending
• Pats: Taylor Tabashniuk — 34 saves on 36 shots
• Oil Kings: Ethan Simcoe — 20 saves on 24 shots
Three Stars
• First Star: Taylor Tabashniuk (34 SV)
• Second Star: Matt Paranych (2A)
• Third Star: Zachary Lansard (1G-1A)
COMING UP
The Regina Pats continue their homestand and family weekend on Saturday, February 21, when they host the Penticton Vees for the first time in franchise history.
The Pats are then back at home on Wednesday, February 25, when they host the Prince George Cougars.
