The Regina Pats third period rally was not enough on Friday, as they suffered a 6-4 loss to the Saskatoon Blades at the Brandt Centre.
Jaxsin Vaughan, Zane Rowan, Anthony Wilson and Zach Moore provided the scoring for the Pats.
Kelton Pyne made 37 saves in the loss.
The Pats got off to a fast start, with Vaughan picking up his 9th goal of the year to give the Pats the early lead.
Saskatoon responded with Egor Sidorov scoring a highlight reel, finishing it off with a behind-the-back shot.
In the second period, the Blades quickly gained their first lead of the night when Vaughan Wotterodt deflected a pass from Tyler Parr past Pyne.
Brandon Lisowsky scored a power-play goal to increase Saskatoon’s lead.
Zane Rowan cut the Pats deficit to one, burying a backhand shot to cut Blades back to one.
Trevor Wong provided some much-needed insurance for Saskatoon late in the second period. First, he delivered a perfect saucer pass to Ben Saunderson, who scored.
Wong then took advantage of a short-handed breakaway and scored his 10th goal of the season to give the Blades a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes.
Regina responded in the third period. Anthony Wilson scored his first goal as a Pat after he tipped a pass from Sam Oremba.
Then Zach Moore scored his first goal with Regina as he took advantage of a two-on-one rush and fired a shot past Blades goalie Austin Elliott.
But the Pats couldn’t find the equalizer, with Wong scoring his second goal of the night to finish things off, giving the Blades a 6-4 win.
Saskatoon sits on top of the Eastern Conference with a 26-8-2-1 record and enjoys a seven-point cushion on Medicine Hat.
The Regina Pats (13-19-4-2) failed to gain ground on the Prince Albert Raiders, who currently hold the final playoff spot in the conference. The Raiders are leading by four points.
After the game, Pats head coach Brad Herauf said his sqaud’s effort was present, but they allowed the Blades to have too much to work with in the second period.
“But I thought the third period was just what we’ve been doing all year long, we haven’t given up, but we just started too late there tonight.”
Less than a week after being traded from Saskatoon, Moore and Samuel Barcik were in the lineup against their former teams, Herauf was happy with the duo’s effort, noting Moore is already playing a prominent role on a line with Braxton Whitehead and Tanner Howe.
“He plays the game the right way and he’s got some offence to his game.”
Former Pat Alexander Suzdalev was in Regina for the game but did not suit the Blades as his equipment didn’t arrive in time.
With a strong effort in the third, Herauf wants his squad to carry that effort over to Saturday night.
Moore preferred a win but was excited to play against his former team.
“It was exciting, I mean playing with kind of a chip on my shoulder, so it brings a little bit more to my game.”
As he settles into the Pats lineup for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, the 17-year-old forward says he will try and chip in with his new team.
“I hope to bring more scoring, just offensive capability and help the team anyway I can.”
On Saturday, the Pats will try and snap their seven-game losing streak when they entertain the Victoria Royals.
