The Regina Pats continued their hot streak Wednesday night at the Brandt Centre, rolling to a dominant 7–0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos for their third straight win.
With the result, the Pats improved to 14-20-4-1 on the season and held onto the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Offence came from all over the lineup with 10 different players finding the scoresheet. Ruslan Karimov (2G-1A), Cohen Klassen (2G-1A) and Zach Lansard (3A) powered the attack, while goaltender Marek Schlenker turned aside all 22 shots he faced to earn his first WHL shutout. The seven-goal outburst matched Regina’s season high, with both instances coming against Swift Current.
Keets Fawcett opened the scoring early in the first period, finishing off a 2-on-0 rush for his team-leading 21st goal of the season at 5:12. The tally extended Fawcett’s point streak to nine games, tying a career high. Regina carried the 1–0 lead into the intermission.
The Pats broke the game open early in the second period. Ellis Mieyette made it 2–0 just 74 seconds in, stealing the puck along the left boards before walking to the net and beating Archer Cooke with a slick backhand move. Cohen Klassen added to the lead at 7:49, finishing a crisp tic-tac-toe sequence set up by Zach Lansard and Jonas Kohn to give Regina a 3–0 advantage.
Any hope of a Swift Current comeback was quickly erased in the third. Karimov struck just 25 seconds into the frame on the power play, tipping home a point shot from in front to make it 4–0. He added his second of the night at 7:39, lifting a backhander into the top corner after Klassen found him cutting toward the net.
Jace Egland pushed the lead to 6–0 at 13:19, converting on a partial breakaway by batting a rebound out of mid-air after his initial attempt was stopped. Klassen capped the scoring late, burying a feed from Karimov with 31 seconds remaining to round out the 7–0 final.
Regina finished the night with a 31–22 edge in shots, while Schlenker was flawless at the other end, anchoring a complete team effort. Archer Cooke stopped 12 of 18 shots before giving way to Aiden Eskit, who made 10 saves on 13 shots in relief.
FINAL: Regina Pats 7, Swift Current Broncos 0
THE GOALS
First Period
Pats 1-0 — #10 Keets Fawcett (21), assisted by #27 Caden Brown, #21 Ellis Mieyette at 5:12 // Caden Brown broke through the Broncos' defence, creating a 2- on-0 before feeding Fawcett a backdoor pass to open the scoring.
Second Period
Pats 2-0 — #21 Ellis Mieyette (8), unassisted at 1:14 // Mieyette stole the puck along the left boards, walked to the front of the net and made a nice move with his backhand to beat Archer Cooke.
Pats 3-0 — #37 Cohen Klassen (7), assisted by #57 Zachary Lansard & #3 Jonas Kohn at 7:49 // Klassen finished off a beautiful tic-tac-toe play to extend the Pats' lead to 3-0 early in the second frame.
Third Period
Pats 4-0 — #25 Ruslan Karimov (10), assisted by #27 Caden Brown & #55 Ephram McNutt at 0:25 (PP) // Karimov parked himself in front of the net and tipped home a shot from the middle point to extend the lead with a power play goal.
Pats 5-0 — #25 Ruslan Karimov (11), assisted by #37 Cohen Klassen & #57 Zachary Lansard at 7:39 // Klassen found an open Karimov cutting towards the front of the net, and lifted a backhander into the top corner.
Pats 6-0 — #24 Jace Egland (7), assisted by #44 Matt Paranych & #35 Marek Schlenker at 13:19 // Paranych stretched the puck up the ice to send Egland on the partial breakaway, where his first shot was stopped, but he batted the rebound out of mid-air to increase the lead.
Pats 7-0 — #37 Cohen Klassen (8), assisted by #25 Ruslan Karimov & #57 Zachary Lansard at 19:29 // Karimov drove to the front of the net and slid the puck over to Klassen, who deposited the puck past Aiden Eskit to make it 7-0 with 31 seconds to play.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 7 – 10 – 14 — 31
- Broncos: 7 – 9 – 6 — 22
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/5
- Broncos: 1/1
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 22 saves on 22 shots (1st WHL shutout)
- Broncos: Archer Cooke — 12 saves on 18 shots & Aiden Eskit — 10 saves on 13 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: Marek Schlenker (22SV + SO)
- Second Star: Cohen Klassen (2G-1A)
- Third Star: Ruslan Karimov (2G-1A)
COMING UP
Looking ahead, the Pats will remain at home on Saturday, January 17, when they host the Victoria Royals for a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at the Brandt Centre. Regina will then hit the road for a four-game Alberta swing beginning January 20 in Red Deer against the Rebels, followed by stops in Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Calgary, playing four games in five nights.
