Pats snap skid with shootout victory
The Regina Pats halted a 10-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Saturday, coming back to beat the host Red Deer Rebels 6-5 in a shootout.
Despite a few close calls, the Pats hadn’t won a game since their 3-2 opening-night decision over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Saturday’s victory at Westerner Park Centrium improves their record to 2-100 while Red Deer fell to 4-6-0-1.
The Pats were without head coach Dave Struch for the second straight road game after he underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis. General manager John Paddock ran the bench in his absence, beginning with a 2-1 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday.
“I didn’t think the first period was great (Saturday) but, past that, we played five really good periods (this weekend),” said Paddock, whose team came back from a three-goal deficit against Red Deer.
“Really you just have to chip away, not give (the opponent) anything easy and try to win each period, which is the way it turned out. It hasn’t turned out that way (in previous comeback efforts) and it probably won’t turn out the next time when you’re down three goals. But what was said (by the coaches) they did and they were able to manufacture the win.”
The Pats were trailing 4-1 midway through the second period when they scored three straight goals — from Austin Pratt, Robbie Holmes and Ryker Evans — to tie it early in the third.
Red Deer regained the lead with 2:47 left in regulation on Cameron Hausinger’s second of the night. The Pats pulled goalie Danton Belluk for an extra attacker and Pratt notched his second of the game with 15 seconds on the clock, sending the game to overtime.
After a scoreless OT, Zach Wytinck potted the winner in the third round of the shootout. That capped off a career-high four-point night for the veteran defenceman, who had four assists in regulation time.
Ty Kolle had the other goal for the Pats, who outshot the Rebels 37-29. Red Deer’s Zak Smith opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game. Ethan Rowland and ex-pat Dawson Barteaux also scored for the home team.
Belluk stopped 24 of 29 shots — plus one of three in the shootout — for his first WHL win. The Rebels got 32 saves from Byron Fancy, who was beaten on all three shootout attempts (Kolle, Pratt and Wytinck).
The Pats are idle until Sunday at 2 p.m., when they play host to the Prairie Classic outdoor game at Mosaic Stadium against the Calgary Hitmen.