Regina Pats' goaltender Taylor Tabashniuk acknowledged the fan support at their home game against the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
"It gives us a huge boost for sure, knowing that the Pats fans have our backs, especially against teams like that," Tabashniuk said on the SportsCage. "It helps us a ton."
The game against the Raiders went to a shootout with Regina losing 2-1. Tabashinuk earned first star honours after stopping 52 of 53 shots.
"We were aiming for two points there. We wanted to win that one really badly,” Tabashniuk reflected on the game. “But the mindset is focusing on the next shot, one shot at a time and trying my best to stay in the present moment and not get fixated on past saves or what's going to happen in a couple of shifts.”
This season, Tabashniuk's first year with the Pats, he has a 3.84 goals against average and a .883 save percentage through 20 games. He shared his mindset as a goaltender when talking about the game against the Raiders. Max Heise from PA tied the game in the third period, sending it into overtime.
"There's a lot of what ifs, but at the end of the day, the game happened," Tabashinuk said. "It's in the past, so try and learn what I can from it and move on."
After the game against the Raiders, the Pats went to Moose Jaw and lost 5-2 against the Warriors.
Even though Regina was unable to win the game against the Warriors, rookie Maddox Schultz broke the team record for the most goals scored by a 15-year-old with 13. The previous record holder was Connor Bedard, who scored 12 goals in his rookie season with the Pats.
"That guy, he works so hard on a day-to-day basis," Tabashniuk said about Schultz. "He deserves all the accolades he gets. "
There are three games left on the Pats regular season schedule, Regina needs one point to secure a WHL playoff spot.
"We know we're capable of doing it. There's no lack of belief within our group," Tabashniuk said. "We all know it's possible and we need to take it one period, one shift, one play at a time. Everyone needs to do their part to help us clinch this playoff spot."
The last time Regina made the postseason was in 2023, when the Pats lost to the Saskatoon Blades in seven games in the first round.
Regina's next game is a trip to Prince Albert to take on the Raiders Tuesday night. Listen to Dante De Caria, who will have the pre-game show at 6:30 p.m., puck drop will be at 7 p.m. You can listen to all the action on 620 CKRM.
