KOOTENAY ICE TOO STRONG FOR REGINA PATS.
The Regina Pats ran into a familiar foe on Friday night — themselves.
The penalty issues that have plagued Regina in the early going this season cost the WHL club again as the Kootenay Ice skated to its first win of the season, a 4-1 decision before a homeopening crowd of 2,531 at Western Financial Place in Cranbrook.
The Pats (1-3-0) were coming off their first win of the season — a 4-3 OT decision Wednesday over the host Swift Current Broncos. After four games, Regina has been forced to kill 28 penalties (giving up seven goals) while receiving just 19 power plays of their own (scoring five times).
“At the end of the day our discipline is hurting us,” said interim head coach Malcolm Cameron, who’s filling in while Pat Conacher takes care of an undisclosed family matter. “We took eight or nine penalties again and only get (three) power plays. That’s not a recipe for success in any league when you have to kill all the time. You shorten your bench when you’re killing penalties and a lot of times the guys who kill penalties are also your best offensive players. When it comes down to the time when you really need a goal they don’t have as much gas in the tank. That’s something we have to rectify.”
Discipline wasn’t a major issue for the Pats last season, so the Pats’ coaches are in unfamiliar territory.
“It’s different reasons every night,” noted Cameron. “We have no issues with aggressive penalties where you’re standing up for your teammate. It’s the ones in the offensive zone, 200 feet away from your net ... hooking or holding instead of taking that extra stride. Those are the ones that always kick you in the behind and those are the ones you have to alleviate.”
Rookie goaltender Teagan Sacher made his first WHL start for the Pats, who were without Matt Hewitt due to illness. Sacher stopped 18 of 22 shots while counterpart Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 19 of 20.
“(Sacher) played great,” said Cameron. “He gave us every chance to win. We just have to play a little tougher in front of our net.”
Sacher was beaten for the game’s first goal, by Erik Benoit, with 3:38 left in the opening frame. Brock Montgomery made it 2-0 on the power play with 4:33 remaining in the second and Sam Reinhart was credited with an insurance marker with 4:40 left in the third.
Trent Ouellette got Regina on the board just over a minute later but Reinhart rounded out the scoring with 37 seconds on the clock.
“I thought the guys worked hard,” added Cameron. “We had enough chances to have a lead and actually win this game. I’d say probably out of the 20 shots we had 12 of them were Grade A scoring chances. We just didn’t finish.”
Regina concludes its three-game road trip tonight against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
EXTRAS: Pats rookie D Griffin Mumby made his WHL debut in place of D Kade Pilton (healthy scratch). F Adam Brooks (injured) was replaced by fellow rookie F Bryar Ortynski. The Pats were also without F Patrick D’Amico (foot), F Dryden Hunt (concussion) and F Andrew Rieder (shoulder) ... Regina is back on home ice Wednesday against the Moose Jaw Warriors.