The Regina Pats opted to put together a busy first week in the Western Hockey League preseason and it appears to be paying off in spades.
The Pats overcame a 4-1 deficit with five unanswered goals to take a 6-4 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings in a neutral site game in Ochapowace on Saturday night. The victory sees the Pats remain undefeated in the exhibition schedule with a 4-0-0-0 record.
All six Saskatchewan teams were in neutral site action on Saturday, as the Swift Current Broncos downed the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-4 in Assiniboia and the Saskatoon Blades took a 5-2 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders in Warman.
Regina 6, Brandon 4
It looked as if Regina was going to be in for a long night through the first period and a bit, as Brandon rookie import Kris Muissu scored four goals in the first 26 minutes of the game to stake his team to a 4-1 lead.
Maddox Schultz had scored Regina’s only goal to that point with 3:39 left in the first.
Samuel Karsay got the rally going for the Pats midway through the second, as he scored his first two goals of the preseason at 10:03 and 13:17 to get Regina back within one.
Connor Bear then tied the game 30 seconds into the third, and Cohen Klassen came up with the game-winner with 6:02 to play in the game.
Bear finished things off with an empty net goal with 54 seconds to play.
Aiden Wagner and Zach Moore each had a pair of helpers for Regina.
Marek Schlenker went the distance in goal for the Pats, stopping 17 shots. Ryley Budd had 17 stops for Brandon.
The Wheat Kings are now 0-2-0-0 in the preseason.
Regina is now off until Tuesday when they’re in Moose Jaw (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).
Swift Current 5, Moose Jaw 4
After Brendan Rudolph scored the only two goals for Swift Current in the first period, the Broncos had an answer for everything Moose Jaw threw at them the rest of the way, eventually securing the one-goal win.
Luke Moroz got Moose Jaw on the board with 5:56 gone in the third, but Rudolph scored his second shorthanded goal of the game with 6:33 left in the frame to make it a 3-1 game. Colt Carter pulled the Warriors back within one 34 seconds later and that’s where things stood heading into the third period.
There, Kayd Reudig restored Swift Current’s two goal lead at the 6:38 mark, but the Warriors wouldn’t go quietly, with Rasmus Kamarainen finding the back of the net with 1:18 remaining to set up a tense finish.
Trae Wilke scored an empty netter with 43 seconds left in the game, and Kamarainen added his second of the night with two seconds left to finish off scoring.
Cal Conway stopped 23 shots to take the win in net for the Broncos. Dylan Mingo started for Moose Jaw and had seven saves on nine shots in 18:25, Jordan Switzer played the remainder of the game and had 15 saves.
The Broncos are now 1-2 in the preseason, the Warriors fall to 0-2-1-0.
Swift Current is back in action Friday when they travel to Medicine Hat.
Saskatoon 5, Prince Albert 2
After a scoreless first period, whatever adjustments the Blades made in the intermission proved especially fruitful, as they’d score five unanswered goals in the second to take a 5-0 lead.
Kazden Mathies got things started at the 3:56 mark, after which Kain Martinuik made it a two-goal game 46 seconds later. Cooper Williams extended Saskatoon’s lead at the 12:04 mark, Mathies scored his second power play goal of the game with 3:49 left in the period and Jaggar John made it 5-0 15 seconds after that goal.
The Raiders got on the board midway through the third on a goal from Darius Hordal, and Ben Harvey would wrap up scoring for the Raiders with 4:45 left in the game.
Williams and Mathies finished with three points each, Cooper Williams had three assists for the Blades.
Taye Timmerman started for Saskatoon and stopped all nine shots he faced in 29:46, Max Hartel had 18 saves the rest of the way. Chase Kettles had 14 stops in 30:14 for Prince Albert, Brady Holtvogt saved 17 as his replacement.
Saskatoon improves to 2-1-0-0, Prince Albert falls to 2-1-0-0.
The two teams are back in action on Thursday night with Saskatoon at Prince Albert (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).
