A WORKHORSE IN GOAL
Pats are coming to rely on Buskey
Who says Donovan Buskey needs a night off?
The 19-year-old netminder appeared in every game last week for the Regina Pats, who capped off a gruelling stretch of five games in seven days by playing three in three over the weekend.
Buskey was supposed to get a night off Saturday versus the Edmonton Oil Kings but was summoned from the bench after an injury to Danton Belluk late in the first period.
Buskey stopped 27 of 28 shots in relief and was named the second star of Regina’s 2-1 overtime loss to Edmonton, the top team in the Eastern Conference. He added another second-star effort the next day, backstopping his club to a 4-3 OT win over the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The victory put an exclamation mark on the busiest week of Buskey’s WHL career.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” he said with a smile. “It’s a heavy workload and it’s challenging in some ways but it’s what every hockey player wants. At least it’s what I’ve wanted my whole career, to get this kind of opportunity.”
Despite the physical demands of Regina’s schedule, there were no obvious signs of fatigue after Buskey’s marathon week.
If anything, he appeared to find a nice rhythm.
“I think I did a good job of taking care of my body away from the rink,” he explained. “It feels great. When you’re playing every night you just follow your routine. Each day flows into the next.”
After starting just three games in the first half, Buskey has been an absolute workhorse since Regina traded Max Paddock to the Prince Albert Raiders on Jan. 9.
Buskey has appeared in all 19 games so far — 16 starts and three relief appearances.
“It’s hard for goalies (to play that much),” said head coach Dave Struch, whose team is leaning heavily on the veteran netminder during the second year of a major roster overhaul. “Some nights we get peppered pretty good — 35, 40, 50 shots. When you go through stuff like that, if you can come out the other end and play as hard as he does for (his teammates), it makes it a lot easier for those guys to play the same way for him.”
In the process, Buskey has answered questions about Regina’s ability to win without Paddock, the team’s unofficial first-half MVP. Skeptics were quick to point out that Buskey owned a career save percentage of .870 when the Pats acquired his WHL rights from the Prince Albert Raiders on Oct. 21.
At the time, Buskey was playing for the BCHL’S Trail Smoke Eaters. It was his second season with the Junior A club after being released by Prince Albert midway through the 2018-19 season.
The Pats brought him in as an insurance policy for Paddock, who was dealing with some injuries at the time.
Upon joining Regina, Buskey made it clear that he was prepared to play any role the team required. Little did he know that a few weeks later he’d become the team’s starter.
“There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing in the world than being the goalie for the Regina Pats right now,” he said.
“I’ve worked my whole life to get into this league. I’m just really grateful for the opportunity that these guys are giving to me.”
Prior to this season, Buskey’s longest run as a WHLER came in 2017-18 when he made 22 appearances with the Spokane Chiefs. He played in his 23rd game of the season with Regina on Sunday, compiling a 9-10-1-0 record with a 4.01 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage.
Those numbers don’t reflect how well Buskey has played as of late.
“It’s because of where we’re at in the (re)build,” Struch said. “Teams get lots of shots ... but he doesn’t let it bother him. He’s not at the top of the league (stats-wise) but that’s why you win games as a team and we focus on playing as a team. He tries to compete every night and every day in practice. The guys see it and they feed off him.
“He got the opportunity and he has taken advantage of it. He has done a great job for us.”