The Regina Pats erased a third-period deficit and skated to a 4–2 victory over the Prince George Cougars on Wednesday night inside the Brandt Centre.
After trailing 2–1 through 40 minutes, the Pats rallied with three unanswered goals in the final frame, highlighted by Keets Fawcett’s second of the night, his team-leading 29th of the season, which stood as the game-winner late in regulation. The comeback marked Regina’s 12th comeback win of the season and their fifth when trailing after two periods, as the Pats improved to 6–1 over their last seven games.
Fawcett opened the scoring early in the first period at 5:26, finishing a feed from Zachary Lansard to put Regina ahead 1–0. Prince George responded on the power play later in the frame when Terik Parascak tied the game at 1–1. The Cougars then took their first lead of the night midway through the second period as Koy Funk capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover to make it 2–1 heading into the third.
Regina pushed back in the final 20 minutes. Ruslan Karimov evened the score at 6:58, digging a puck loose along the boards and snapping a shot far side to tie the game. With just over five minutes remaining, Fawcett struck again, ripping a shot past Alexander Levshyn after a drop pass from Ephram McNutt to give the Pats their first lead since the opening period. Zach Moore sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:26.
Between the pipes, Marek Schlenker was steady when needed, stopping 29 of 31 shots to earn first-star honours, while Levshyn made 35 saves in the loss. Regina outshot Prince George 39–31 but went 0-for-5 on the power play, while the Cougars finished 1-for-4.
FINAL: Regina Pats 4, Prince George Cougars 2
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 — #10 Keets Fawcett (28) scores, assisted by #57 Zachary Lansard & #19 Maddox Schultz at 5:26 // Fawcett received a pass from Lansard in tight, attempted a shot but appeared to fan on it partially and put it past Levshyn to make it 1-0 for the Queen City Kids.
Cougars 1-1 — #32 Terik Parascak (28), assisted by #11 Kooper Gizowski & #4 Carson Carels at 13:27 (PP) // The Cougars worked the puck around the Pats zone and on their second attempt, Gizowski found Parascak standing alone on the edge of the crease where he directed it past Schlenker to tie the game up at 1-1.
Second Period
Cougars 2-1 — #26 Koy Funk (3) scores, unassisted at 11:26 // Funk grabbed a loose puck in the neutral zone and, as part of a two-on-one, he shot and beat Schlenker to his glove side to make it 2-1.
Third Period
Pats 2-2 — #25 Ruslan Karimov (15) scores, assisted by #27 Caden Brown at 6:58 // Karimov dug the puck out of a scrum along the left boards, skated in toward the face-off dot, and fired a shot far side past Levshyn's glove to even the game up at 2-2.
Pats 3-2 — #10 Keets Fawcett (29) scores, assisted by #55 Ephram McNutt & #19 Maddox Schultz at 14:54 // McNutt carried the puck over the blueline into the Cougars zone, dropped the puck to Fawcett, who ripped a shot past Levshyn's shoulder to give the Pats a 3-2 lead.
Pats 4-2 — #18 Zach Moore (8) scores, assisted by #37 Cohen Klassen & #49 Dayce Derkatch at 18:26 (EN) // Klassen and Moore got the puck on an odd-man rush with Klassen sending a pass to Moore, who hit the empty cage to seal the game at 4-2.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 11 – 14 – 14 — 39
- Cougars: 10 – 12 – 9 — 31
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/5
- Cougars: 1/4
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 29 saves on 31 shots
- Cougars: Alexander Levshyn — 35 saves on 38 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #35 Marek Schlenker (29SV)
- Second Star: #1 Alexander Levshyn (35SV)
- Third Star: #10 Keets Fawcett (2G)
COMING UP
The Regina Pats continue their on Wednesday, February 25, when they host the Prince George Cougars. The Pats then take on the Brandon Wheat Kings on the road next Friday before returning home to host the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday, February 28, at the Brandt Centre.
