Pats run over rebuilding Blades
“TIMES LIKE NOW
IT’S VERY DISCOURAGING, BUT I’M A PRETTY CONFIDENT GUY.”
TROY TROMBLEY
Troy Trombley has been hit with enough rubber to qualify as roadkill, but he’s not about to throw his teammates under the bus.
The journeyman goaltender has developed a thick skin in his first season with the Saskatoon Blades, well aware that he’ll often have to bear the brunt of the team’s rebuilding phase.
Saturday was one of those nights as Trombley faced a 62-shot barrage from the Regina Pats, who continued their recent dominance of the Blades with a 7-3 win before 4,591 fans at the Brandt Centre.
“Times like now it’s very discouraging, but I’m a pretty confident guy,” offered the weary netminder. “I’m going to forget about this by the end of the night and it’s time to go on to the next game. That’s the way a young team needs to be. We can’t dwell on stuff like this.”
Despite Trombley’s best efforts, Regina has won all seven meetings with the Blades this season. He was the goalie of record in five of them — including a pair of shootout losses — while facing an average of 44 shots per game.
All told, the 19-year-old netminder is facing more rubber than any other goaltender in the WHL this season (41 shots per outing).
Battered but not beaten, he’s trying to make the most of a tough situation as the Blades sit 11th in the 12-team Eastern Conference (15-39-13) — with virtually no hope of earning a playoff spot.
“It kind of sucks to wear it because you are the goalie, but I want to be the guy this team can count on this year and next year,” added Trombley, a first-year starter who’s playing for his fifth WHL club. “I want to be that leader and I want to be able to carry the team. This is a good prep for next year.”
Trombley has created some momentum under difficult circumstances, compiling a 3.88 goals-against average and .905 save percentage (ranked 14th-best in the WHL). His goal is to maintain a .900-plus save percentage through the end of the season — regardless of how much rubber he sees.
“He has been great for us,” said head coach Dave Struch. “We know we’re going to have lots of shots against. We’re a young team. Every night is a development night for us. We were up against a real good team (Saturday). Things like this are to be expected.”
The Pats jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and responded three times after Saskatoon made it a two-goal game. The home team eventually pulled away in the third period with unanswered goals from Dmitry Sinitsyn and Jesse Zgraggen.
Dyson Stevenson, Boston Leier, Kyle Burroughs, Braden Christoffer and Chandler Stephenson had the other markers while goaltender Daniel Wapple stopped 22 shots for the win.
Chase Clayton, Cameron Hebig (short-handed) and Austin Adamson replied for Saskatoon.
“I’m happy with the win because it helps us get to our ultimate goal, which is a playoff spot,” said Pats head coach Malcolm Cameron, whose team (28-22-3-2) sits seventh in the conference. “What I take out of the game is we still have to continue to get through to these guys that we have to make teams earn their goals.
“I like the way we got our (seven) goals and I like that we got 62 shots. I don’t like the way we gave up the three goals. We handed it right to them.”
That’s the kind of charity the Pats can’t afford.
“If we want to compete against teams we’re competing with for a playoff spot, we’re going to have to learn to make teams earn their goals more than we did tonight,” added the head coach. “Having said that, we did a lot of real good things. But I have to be hard on them as a coach because I demand more out of this hockey club and I think this club has more potential.”
EXTRAS: The game was preceded by a 15-minute ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Pats’ namesake, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry … Super Bowl champion Jon Ryan of Regina was introduced to the crowd during the first intermission … The Pats conclude their seven-game homestand on Wednesday against the Kootenay Ice.