Despite a 46-save effort from goaltender Marek Schlenker, the Regina Pats dropped a narrow 3-2 result in overtime at the SaskTel Centre against the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday.
After being shut out on home ice in their previous meeting with the Pats, the Blades opened the scoring on just their third shot of the game. Capitalizing on a turnover at their own blue line, Brayden Klimpke picked up the puck in his own zone and beat Regina goaltender Marek Schlenker at 7:03 for the Teddy Bear Toss goal. The Pats would waste little time responding. Zach Lansard sprung Zach Moore with a long pass through the neutral zone, and after beating a defenceman, Moore drove the net on a 2-on-1 but was turned aside by Blades netminder Evan Gardner. The rebound popped out to captain Ephram McNutt, who buried it to tie the game at 7:27 – just 24 seconds after Saskatoon took the lead.
In the middle frame, neither team could find the back of the net, and the game remained tied. Schlenker was sensational for Regina, stopping all 20 shots he faced in the second period to keep the score even heading into the final 20 minutes of action.
After a scoreless second, the Blades would regain their one-goal lead on the power play at 3:26 of the third period. Tyler Parr worked the puck back to Klimpke at the blue line, and his point shot redirected off Schlenker before hitting Kazden Mathies and into the net. Less than two minutes later, Regina would capitalize on a power play of their own. With possession at the Saskatoon blue line, Matt Paranych slid the puck to Lansard, who snapped a hard feed toward the crease that found the stick of Jace Egland. The 18-year-old redirected it in front, beating Gardner to tie the game again at 5:19. This matchup would head to overtime, and Cooper Williams would end the game with a solo effort, putting a puck over the glove side shoulder of Schlenker to secure the victory.
With the result, the Pats moved to 11-17-3-1 on the season. Pats’ Schlenker stopped all 46 of 49 shots he faced. At the other end, Blades netminder Gardner turned aside 12 of 14 shots, with the final shots on goal being 49-14 in favour of Saskatoon. On special teams, each team scored on the man advantage. The Pats went 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Blades were 1-for-4.
Most notably, McNutt matched his career high for goals in a season, scoring his sixth tally of the year on Saturday in Saskatoon, while Schlenker notched a season-high 46 saves.
FINAL: Saskatoon Blades 3, Regina Pats 2 (OT)
THE GOALS
First Period
Blades 1-0 —#4 Brayden Klimpke (3) (unassisted) at 7:03
Following a Pats offensive zone turnover, Klimpke went end-to-end, beating Schlenker blocker side to open the scoring at 7:03.
Pats 1-1 —#55 Ephram McNutt (6), assisted by #18 Zach Moore, & #57 Zach Lansard at 7:27
Lansard found Moore with a stretch pass in the neutral zone, and Gardner denied him on a partial 2-on-1. However, on the doorstep, McNutt tapped home the rebound at 7:27.
Second Period
No scoring.
Third Period
Blades 2-1 —#77 Kazden Mathies (10), assisted by #4 Brayden Klimpke, & #20 Tyler Parr at 3:26 (PP)
On the man advantage, Parr found Klimpke at the point, and Schlenker initially stopped his shot before deflecting off Mathies and into the net at 3:26.
Pats 2-2 —#24 Jace Egland (4), assisted by #57 Zach Lansard, and #44 Matt Paranych at 5:19 (PP)
Off the draw, the puck was played to Paranych at the point. The 18-year-old started a tic-tac-toe play, feeding Lansard, who wired a pass that was redirected into the net by Egland at 5:19 on the man advantage.
Overtime
Blades 3-2 —#16 Cooper Williams (13) (unassisted) at 2:16 (OT)
Winning a puck battle in the Pats’ zone, Williams drove the net and lifted a shot over the shoulders of Schlenker at 2:16.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 5 – 3 – 6 – 0 — 14
- Blades: 11 – 20 – 15 – 3 — 49
Power Plays
- Pats: 1/2
- Blades: 1/4
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 46 saves on 49 shots
- Blades: Evan Gardner — 12 saves on 14 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #35 Marek Schlenker (46 saves)
- Second Star: #4 Brayden Klimpke (1G, 1A)
- Third Star: #16 Cooper Williams (1G)
COMING UP
The Pats wrap up their home-and-home weekend with the Blades on December 28 at 2:00 p.m. for the club’s Next Gen Game at the Brandt Centre. Regina will then host the Moose Jaw Warriors on New Year’s Eve at 4:00 p.m., officially marking the halfway point of the season for the Pats as they compete in game No. 34 of the 2025-26 campaign.
