Tigers lose final game on Regina road trip

Jordan Hollett did everything he could to keep the Regina Pats at bay on Saturday at the Brandt Centre, but the Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender couldn’t stop them all.

Hollett finished with 42 saves on the night, but the Pats broke open a 2-2 tie in the dying minutes of regulation before skating away with a 4-2 victory to send the Tigers home with a 1-2-1-0 record on their four-game East Division road trip.

While the Tigers found themselves trailing early for the seventh time in eight games after a puck bounced off Pats centre Matt Bradley and into the net, they rallied back to take a lead into the intermission thanks to a pair of opportunistic plays.

First Hayden Ostir converted on the power play by putting the puck on goal and watching as Pats defender Liam Schioler inadvertently batted it into his own net, then Henry Rybinski finally found his moment in the spotlight a few minutes later.

The 16-year-old Vancouver product was waiting on the doorstep when he picked up a loose puck and fired it past Pats netminder Max Paddock to give the Tabbies an edge with the first goal of his Western Hockey League career — one day after having a highlight reel marker negated by the net coming off its moorings. The Tigers had their share of chances on a pair of second period power plays, but the Pats pushed their way back into the contest by peppering Hollett in the dying minutes of the frame. Emil Oskanen collected his 12th goal of the season when he finished off a free puck in the slot after a goalmouth scramble left Hollett on his backside.

While he allowed the lone goal of the second, Hollett stopped 14 shots in the frame to hold his Tigers in a tightly knit contest before turning aside 16 more in the third — but Robbie Holmes finally snuck one past him with four minutes left on the clock, then Jake Leschyshyn added an empty netter to secure the victory for Regina.

Hollett settled for the setback — dropping Medicine Hat to 17-12-2-0 — while Paddock collected the 32-save victory to lift the Pats to 16-14-2-0.

The Tigers return to the Canalta Centre Wednesday to host the Tri-City Americans (15-9-3-0) at 7 p.m.