The Regina Pats have proven they can take down the WHL’s best, but now they’re looking to make that level of play the norm rather than the exception.
Regina’s recent results demonstrate that inconsistency. The Pats defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-1 on Oct. 17 but followed it up with a 4-1 loss to the Swift Current Broncos the next night.
The contrasting performances reflect a trend the Pats are trying to correct as they work to establish themselves early in the season.
Pats captain Reese Hamilton says the team’s struggles have been particularly noticeable during away games.
“It’s been a common theme with us — we’re good at home and not so great on the road,” he said.
Hamilton acknowledged that adjusting to a new coaching staff has played a role in the team’s early-season ups and downs, although he stressed that it cannot become an excuse.
He also pointed out that the team’s emotional responses to game results have played a factor in the team’s inconsistency.
The Pats are 4-4-0-1 through nine games, good for a middling .500 points percentage.
“Something our group’s been talking about a lot is getting too high when we win or getting too low when we lose,” Hamilton said.
Maintaining a more balanced atmosphere in the dressing room is one way Hamilton hopes to help the team find its footing.
“It’s just about keeping a steady balance and keeping it chill in the room — letting the boys have fun,” he said.
Assistant coach Taras McEwen agreed, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a steady approach through both victories and defeats.
“Getting too high and too low has been a little bit of an issue,” McEwen said. “Just finding a routine, staying in it — that shouldn’t change whether you win or lose.”
McEwen pointed out that injuries to several older key players have also affected the Pats’ depth.
Twenty-year-old forward Keets Fawcett had a strong start to the season but sustained an injury against Calgary on Oct. 4. He recorded a goal and two assists in a 7-2 win over the Hitmen, part of earning seven points in his first four games. The Pats have missed his presence in the lineup.
Nineteen-year-old Ellis Mieyette was also injured in the team’s most recent game against Swift Current, while 18-year-old Parker Trottier was hurt a couple of weeks ago in Edmonton.
“It takes away the depth but also gives some opportunities to some other guys to step into the lineup and play some more minutes,” McEwen said.
But injuries are only part of the equation.
McEwen pointed to the Pats’ struggles in puck battles during games against Medicine Hat and Swift Current as an area that needs improvement.
Winning races to loose pucks and coming away with possession might seem like a small detail, but it can determine how much time a team spends attacking versus defending. When the Pats lose those battles, they have fewer opportunities to create offence and are forced to spend more time trying to regain possession.
“If you’re not winning races and battles and killing plays in the defensive zone, you’re not going to have the puck,” McEwen said.
Hamilton identified similar areas for improvement, including limiting turnovers and generating more offence by putting the puck on net.
“We don’t shoot the puck enough to give ourselves a scoring chance, so it’s just little things like that that help win a hockey game,” he said.
The Pats believe their inconsistency is not necessarily a question of talent, but of executing the fundamentals more reliably.
They’ve demonstrated they can produce convincing wins but sustaining that level requires better puck management – and a steadier response to adversity.
