The Regina Pats erased an early deficit in the second period. Still, the Brandon Wheat Kings responded with a third-period go-ahead goal and added an empty-netter to secure a 4-2 victory in the regular season finale on Saturday night at Assiniboine Credit Union Place.
Despite the result, the Pats have clinched a playoff spot with a Moose Jaw Warriors 4-1 loss to the Swift Current Broncos, reaching the postseason for the first time since 2023.
In the regular season finale, the stakes were high from the opening faceoff. The first 16 minutes were tightly contested, with few whistles as both teams traded chances. However, it was Brandon who struck first. At 17:03, with the puck loose in the Pats' slot, Wheat Kings' Nicholas Johnson stripped it from Regina and fired a shot that narrowly beat Pats goaltender Taylor Tabashniuk, opening the scoring as the lone goal of the period. Brandon outshot Regina 14-7 through the first 20 minutes, with neither team taking a penalty.
The Pats came out flying in the middle frame, beginning the period outshooting the Wheat Kings 7-0 and scoring twice in under 40 seconds. It began with Caden Brown kickstarting a tic-tac-toe play, feeding Ellis Mieyette, who found a streaking Cohen Klassen on the left side. He buried his 14th of the season at 5:26 to tie the game. Then, at 6:05, Cruz Nicolay rimmed the puck behind the net to Ruslan Karimov, who then found a wide-open Zach Lansard out front. He patiently waited for Brandon goaltender Filip Ruzicka and finished for his 24th of the year to give the Pats the lead. The Wheat Kings answered less than two minutes later, as Daniil Skvortsov netted his first career WHL goal at 7:56 to even the game. Regina outshot Brandon 16-12 in the period but couldn’t convert on their lone power-play opportunity.
The third opened in a back-and-forth fashion, but tilted in Brandon's favour at 6:41 when the Wheat Kings regained the lead. Caleb Hadland carried the puck deep into the Pats’ zone and dropped it back to Brady Turko, who one-timed it past Tabashniuk to give Brandon the advantage in the final frame. Then, at 19:16, Luke Mistelbacher buried an empty-netter to seal the deal on a 4-2 win for Brandon.
With the result, the Pats finished the regular season with a 25-34-7-2 record and 59 points. Pats' Tabashniuk stopped 37 of 40 shots he faced. At the other end, Wheat Kings netminder Ruzicka turned aside 27 of 29 shots. The final shots on goal were 41-29 in favour of Brandon. On special teams, the Pats had the only two power-play opportunities and went 0-for-2.
Most notably, Nicolay registered his first career WHL assist and point on the Pats' second goal of the game.
FINAL: Brandon Wheat Kings 4, Regina Pats 2
THE GOALS
First Period
Wheat Kings 1-0 —#62 Nicholas Johnson (22), unassisted at 17:03
After the Pats turned the puck over in their own zone, Johnson collected the loose puck and slipped a shot past Tabashniuk at 17:03.
Second Period
Pats 1-1 — #37 Cohen Klassen (14), assisted by #21 Ellis Mieyette, & #27 Caden Brown at 5:26
Entering the Wheat Kings’ zone, Brown dropped the puck to Mieyette, who quickly slid a pass to a cutting Klassen, and he made no mistake, tying the game at 5:26.
Pats 2-1 — #57 Zach Lansard (24), assisted by #25 Ruslan Karimov, & #41 Cruz Nicolay at 6:05
Nicolay rimmed the puck around the boards to Karimov behind the net, who zipped a pass to a wide-open Lansard. He waited out Ruzicka and buried it to give the Pats the lead at 6:05.
Wheat Kings 2-2 — #58 Daniil Skvortsov (1), assisted by #26 Luke Mistelbacher, & #8 Prabh Bhathal at 7:56
Mistelbacher sent a pass to the blue line onto the stick of Skvortsov, who snapped a shot through traffic that found its way to the back of the net at 7:56.
Third Period
Wheat Kings 3-2 — #7 Brady Turko (18), assisted by #10 Caleb Hadland at 6:41
Driving down the right side of the Pats' zone, Hadland dropped the puck back to Turko, who one-timed it past Tabashniuk at 6:41.
Wheat Kings 4-2 — #26 Luke Mistelbacher (42), assisted by #9 Jaxon Jacobson at 19:16 (ENG)
Mistelbacher chased down a stretch pass from Jacobson and put the puck into the empty net at 19:16.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 7 – 16 – 6 — 29
- Wheat Kings: 14 – 12 – 15 — 41
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/2
- Wheat Kings: 0/0
Goaltending
- Pats: Taylor Tabashniuk — 37 saves on 40 shots
- Wheat Kings: Filip Ruzicka — 27 saves on 29 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #26 Luke Mistelbacher (1G, 1A)
- Second Star: #62 Nicholas Johnson (1G)
- Third Star: #30 Taylor Tabashniuk (37 saves)
COMING UP
The Pats will host Games 3 and 4 of the 2026 WHL Playoffs on Tuesday, March 31, and Wednesday, April 1, in Regina, with their opponent to be determined. The full playoff schedule is expected to be released on Sunday, March 22, with ticket details for both season ticket holders and the general public to follow beginning Monday, March 23.
