Patchwork Pats look to raise their game versus well-stocked Warriors

Regina Pats head coach/GM John Paddock cut right to the chase in anticipation of his team’s first meeting of the season with the archrival Moose Jaw Warriors.

Regina is already playing catchup as the team prepares for Friday’s clash at Mosaic Place, home to one of the WHL’s early frontrunners.

“We’re going to have to be pretty darn good (to beat them),” Paddock said. “They’re the best team in the conference at this time. We’ll have to be at the top of our game.”

Moose Jaw opened its schedule last weekend with back-toback wins over the Prince Albert Raiders.

Regina suffered a humbling 8-1 loss in Brandon but rebounded the next night with a solid 4-3 win over the Wheat Kings. That was followed by a 5-3 setback on Wednesday against the Swift Current Broncos, who survived a late comeback effort by Regina’s patchwork lineup.

The Pats are missing captain Sam Steel and No. 1 defenceman Josh Mahura, both of whom are with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

Two-way centre Jake Leschyshyn has been returned by the Vegas Golden Knights but is still getting himself back up to speed following knee surgery.

Meanwhile, first-line winger Nick Henry is continuing to recover from off-season shoulder surgery.

The Pats were also without No. 1 goalie Tyler Brown on Wednesday due to what is believed to be a minor leg injury. Promising rookie import Emil Oksanen also sat out due to a “personal” issue but is expected to return Friday.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are slated to have captain Brett Howden in the lineup after the NHL first-rounder was returned early this week by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All seven of Moose Jaw’s NHL campers are now back with the team, although defenceman Josh Brook is slated to miss several weeks with a wrist injury. His absence will be absorbed by a formidable lineup — on paper, at least — that lost just one key player (goalie Zach Sawchenko) from the group that won 42 games in 2016-17.

The Pats pulled away from Moose Jaw in the second half of last season en route to finishing first overall in the league and setting a franchise record with 52 wins. However, they graduated several key players from that squad and are missing a handful of others due to injuries and NHL camps.

“Hopefully we get them back soon but we just have to grind it out and play how the coaches tell us to,” said forward Bryce Platt, whose team allowed three powerplay goals in Wednesday’s loss to Swift Current.

“At the end of the day, when we’re in the box it’s kind of hard to outplay (the other team). Moose Jaw is playing well. They’re a good team. It shouldn’t be hard to get up for this one.”

While motivation isn’t expected to be an issue, the Pats will have to find a way to control their emotions Friday. The team’s recent penalty troubles have been compounded by its struggles on the penalty kill, which is ranked deadlast after allowing eight goals on 13 chances through three games.

“Moose Jaw is obviously a really good team and we need to respect them but I think five-on-five we’ve been playing pretty good,” said defenceman Dawson Davidson, who views Friday’s encounter as a litmus test for his club.

“Whenever we play Moose Jaw it’s fun. It’s obviously a really good rivalry. We just have to go out there and execute. If we play like we can I think we can compete with every team in the league.”