The Regina Pats came up just short on Indigenous Celebration Night, falling 4–3 to the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday inside the Brandt Centre in a tightly contested matchup that marked Regina’s 20th one-goal game of the season.
The Pats showed resilience throughout the night, answering Calgary's goals on multiple occasions and pushing late in the third period, but were unable to find the equalizer despite a strong finish.
Calgary opened the scoring 3:29 into the first period when Ethan Moore finished a backdoor tap-in to make it 1–0. Regina responded midway through the frame as Maddox Schultz stripped a Calgary defender at the blue line, broke in alone, and snapped a smooth backhander past Aidan Hesse to tie the game at 1–1. The Hitmen reclaimed the lead late in the period, with Julien Maze slipping into open space and beating Marek Schlenker with just 17 seconds remaining to send Calgary into the intermission up 2–1.
The second period featured another Pats response, highlighted by a special moment on Indigenous Celebration Night. Connor Bear of Ochapowace First Nation carried the puck into the Calgary zone and threaded a pass through the middle to Shea Rollason of the Métis First Nation of Ontario, who buried his first WHL goal to tie the game 2–2. Calgary answered quickly, regaining the lead on Andrei Molgachev’s finish in tight before extending it on a Kale Dach power-play marker late in the period to make it 4–2.
Regina pushed back in the third. Schultz fired a long-range shot that was stopped, but Bear was right on the doorstep to bury the rebound at 11:23, cutting the deficit to one. Despite continued pressure and a late push, the Pats couldn’t solve Hesse again as the Hitmen held on for the 4–3 win.
Bear led the way offensively for Regina with a goal and an assist against his former team and was named the game’s first star. Schultz added a goal and an assist as well, extending his recent surge to seven points (2G-5A) over his last seven games. Rollason’s milestone goal capped a meaningful night that celebrated Indigenous excellence and culture at the Brandt Centre.
Marek Schlenker turned aside 22 of 26 shots for the Pats, while Hesse made 13 saves for Calgary. The Hitmen finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while Regina went scoreless on its lone opportunity.
FINAL: Calgary Hitmen 4, Regina Pats 3
THE GOALS
First Period
Hitmen 1-0 — #18 Ethan Moore (20), assisted by #2 Kaden Meyer & #27 Julien Maze at 3:29 // Meyer was fed a pass on the left side, sending the puck backdoor where Moore would tap it home to open the scoring.
Pats 1-1 — #19 Maddox Schultz (4), unassisted at 11:20 // Schultz stole the puck away from a Calgary defender, creating a breakaway before beating Aidan Hesse with a slick backhander to tie the game.
Hitmen 2-1 — #27 Julien Maze (29), unassisted at 19:42 // Maze worked free of a couple stick checks, finding open space in the slot, sending a low snapshot under Marek Schlenker to take the lead with 17 seconds to play.
Second Period
Pats 2-2 — #22 Shea Rollason (1), assisted by #20 Connor Bear at 7:43 // Connor Bear gained the Calgary line, and slid a pass through the middle where Rollason knocked it home for his first WHL goal, tying things up at 2-2.
Hitmen 3-2 — #8 Andrei Molgachev (21), assisted by #34 Caine Wilke at 10:22 // Wilke found a loose puck in the right corner, and slipped a pass to the front of the net where Molgachev made no mistake to regain the lead.
Hitmen 4-2 — #22 Kale Dach (27), assisted by #9 Harrison Lodewyk & #12 Wyatt Pisarczyk at 16:06 (PP) // Dach drove into the slot, and from the right wing side, sent a hard snap shot into the far corner to extend the lead.
Third Period
Pats 4-3 — #20 Connor Bear (2), assisted by #19 Maddox Schultz & #27 Caden Brown at 11:23 // Schultz's long-range shot from the blueline was stopped, but Bear was there to clean up the rebound, making it a one-goal game.
Shots on Goal
- Pats: 8 – 10 – 6 — 16
- Hitmen: 5 – 5 – 8 — 26
Power Plays
- Pats: 0/1
- Hitmen: 1/4
Goaltending
- Pats: Marek Schlenker — 22 saves on 26 shots
- Hitmen: Aidan Hesse — 13 saves on 16 shots
Three Stars
- First Star: #20 Connor Bear (1G-1A)
- Second Star: #22 Kale Dach (1G)
- Third Star: #22 Shea Rollason (1G)
COMING UP
The Regina Pats begin a stretch of five games in seven nights, taking on Prince Albert (Feb. 10) and Saskatoon (Feb. 11) before games against Moose Jaw twice and Swift Current on Feb. 16.
