There was a time not that long ago where the Regina Pats were simply trying to rebuild for the future, with the hopes that incremental improvements would lead to an eventual long and fruitful playoff run.
Based on what he’s seen and heard from the team in the first couple weeks of the season, CEO Gord Pritchard feels the time for that success has finally arrived.
Pritchard joined the SportsCage on Friday to talk about all things Pats, with the teams’ 2-2-0-1 start the first topic of conversation.
Not perfect, of course, but the potential is most certainly there, and that’s a good sign for a club looking to return to the postseason.
“Pretty happy the way the team has started off so far this season,” Pritchard said. “I think we had the game in Brandon slip away from us and we had a tough one up in P.A. to start the season, but that's to be expected as we learn and we grow as a team. Otherwise things have looked really good.”
The culture installed by head coach David Bell and his coaching staff through the team’s perfect preseason appears to have paid off quickly through the first five games, Pritchard added.
“They're in touch on things in terms of how they want the guys to play and the way we're going to play with our systems, accountability, and pace of play,” he said. “So I think the guys have adjusted well and are enjoying playing with the new coaching staff.”
With a new outlook came a new look for Pats right off the hop, as they debuted their alternate ‘Bulldog’ jersey for their home opener. That proved to be an immediate hit with fans, offering a look back at the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry mascot ‘Reg’ and previous interactions of the logo used in the past.
“We're really, really happy with how these jerseys turned out and I was amazed that we were able to keep it under wraps for as long as we did, just over a year,” Pritchard said. “In the 2000s, the Pats had a bulldog jersey which was really well received and this was an opportunity to give a nod to our lineage, but also to a previous jersey that we had that was so popular… So we heard our fans and we thought ‘hey, we were going to do a new jersey, let's roll that out and bring the bulldog back.’”
The tenacity shown by the breed is something the team is hoping to put to good use as the season progresses, and it’s something that ideally will carry the club all the way back to the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Regina ran into the defending champion and eventual Eastern Conference finalist Medicine Hat Tigers last season and threw a bit of a scare into their experienced opponents before falling in five games.
That was step one. This season is the next.
“They knew how to win and we had to learn,” Pritchard said. “That's what the playoffs teach you, experience of the regular season is one thing, playoffs is another thing. We learned from the defending champions that it takes a lot to win and how to win and I think we've taken a step forward this year.”
While much of the conversation around the Pats has revolved around youngsters Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue, Pritchard reminded listeners that they’re still only 16 years old, and it’ll be Regina’s depth that decides things in the end.
To that point, Pritchard thinks the initial pieces are there, given the early results.
“We're putting the pieces together, we've turned the corner, and I think it is going to be an exciting, fun team this year,” he said. “The more confident they get, the more time they play together and time they spend with the coaching staff, I think we're going to be a competitive team this year that's going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
The Pats backed up their CEO’s confidence on Friday night, as they took a 5-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders at the Brandt Centre.
Next action for Regina is Saturday night when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Blades, with puck drop at 7 p.m. at SaskTel Centre.
