After building a three-goal lead, the Regina Pats saw the Calgary Hitmen rally for four unanswered goals in a 4-3 overtime loss Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
In a low-event opening period, the Pats struck first in Calgary as Zach Moore opened the scoring on Regina's third shot of the game. Reese Hamilton helped create the opportunity, starting a 4-on-1 rush from his own zone and carrying the play the length of the ice before setting up Moore, who beat Hitmen goaltender Aidan Hesse blocker side. Both teams had a power-play opportunity in the first, but neither capitalized, though the Pats carried early momentum by converting on their best scoring chance of the period.
That momentum would carry over to the middle frame, as Ruslan Karimov and Maddox Schultz scored 36 seconds apart to extend the lead to 3-0. Karimov slipped a shot past Hesse after Moore sent the puck toward the net from the point, and Schultz followed shortly after with a perfectly placed shot over Hesse’s shoulder. As a result, Hitmen netminder Eric Tu replaced Hesse in the Calgary crease, as Hesse made just eight saves on 11 shots.
In the third, the Hitmen scored three goals in just over seven minutes to pull even with the Pats. At 11:05, on the power play, Julien Maze slid a pass to Ben MacBeath on the right side of the blue line, and he threw a puck on net that redirected off Pats defenceman Kolten Bridgeman and past goaltender Marek Schlenker to bring Calgary within two. Then, Ethan Moore and Blake Vanek scored two minutes apart, tying the game at 18:17 of the third period – with the game eventually needing overtime. In the extra frame, it was Maze who capped off a tic-tac-toe play alongside Hunter Aura and Kale Dach at 1:02 – sealing a four-goal, come-from-behind victory for the Hitmen.
With the result, the Pats moved to 24-29-7-1 on the season. Pats' Schlenker stopped 24 of 28 shots he faced. At the other end, Hitmen netminder Hesse turned aside 8 of 11 shots before Tu made 12 saves. The final shots on goal were 28-23 in favour of Calgary. On special teams, the Pats were scoreless, going 0-for-3, while the Hitmen were 1-for-4 on the night.
Most notably, Schultz extended his point streak to four games, collecting six points (4G, 2A) over that stretch. Additionally, Moore picked up his fourth multi-point game of the season.
FINAL: Calgary Hitmen 4, Regina Pats 3 (OT)
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 —#18 Zach Moore (9), assisted by #6 Reese Hamilton at 8:56 // Kickstarting a 4-on-1 rush, Hamilton fed Moore through the neutral zone. Moore carried the puck into the offensive zone and fired a shot past Hesse's blocker at 8:56.
Second Period
Pats 2-0 —#25 Ruslan Karimov (17), assisted by #18 Zach Moore, & #6 Reese Hamilton at 11:47 // Hamilton left the puck for Moore at the blue line, and he wired a shot towards the Calgary goal. On the doorstep was Karimov, who slid a puck through the legs of Hesse and into the back of the net at 11:47.
Pats 3-0 — #19 Maddox Schultz (12), assisted by #10 Keets Fawcett, & #55 Ephram McNutt at 12:23 // Fawcett knocked the puck out of the air in the neutral zone and onto the stick of a streaking Schultz. Entering the zone with speed, Schultz roofed a shot over the shoulder of Hesse to make it 3-0 at 12:23.
Third Period
Hitmen 3-1—#16 Ben MacBeath (7), assisted by #27 Julien Maze, & #8 Andrei Molgachev at 11:05 (PP) // On the man advantage, Maze played a pass to MacBeath at the blue line. He took a shot that redirected off Kolten Bridgeman and into the Regina net at 11:05.
Hitmen 3-2—#18 Ethan Moore (24), assisted by #34 Caine Wilke, & #16 Ben MacBeath at 16:16 // Coming out of the right Pats corner, Wilke found Ethan Moore open at the back door, where he batted the puck into the net to make it a one-goal game at 16:16.
Hitmen 3-3 — #15 Blake Vanek (17), assisted by #4 Calder Hamilton at 18:17 // After a failed clearing attempt, Hamilton passed to a wide-open Vanek in front, and he made no mistake, finishing with a nifty deke to tie the game at 18:17.
Overtime
Hitmen 4-3—#27 Julien Maze (35), assisted by #7 Hunter Aura, & #22 Kale Dach at 1:02 // On a tic-tac-toe play, Dach slid the puck to Aura, who found a cutting Maze backdoor for the finish at 1:02.
A-MAZE-ING 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Bi4ocWyJev
— x – Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) March 9, 2026
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 4 – 11 – 8 – 0 — 23
- Hitmen: 5 – 13 – 9 – 1— 28
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/3
- Hitmen: 1/4
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 24 saves on 28 shots
- Hitmen: Aidan Hesse — 8 saves on 11 shots, Eric Tu — 12 saves on 12 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #27 Julien Maze (1G, 1A)
- Second Star: #16 Ben MacBeath (1G, 1A)
- Third Star: #15 Blake Vanek (1G)
COMING UP
The Pats continue their three-game Alberta road swing on Tuesday, March 10, when they visit the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 7:00 p.m. matchup. Regina will then wrap up the trip on Wednesday, March 11, against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m.
The Blue Brigade return home as their busy March schedule continues on Saturday, March 14, when they host the Prince Albert Raiders at 6:00 p.m.
