Pats’ playoff hopes begin to look realistic
After tough start, recent winning streak has them aiming for post-season play
It would be easy to roll your eyes at the Regina Pats’ unbridled optimism.
Despite internal suggestions to the contrary, the Pats were considered a playoff long-shot entering Year 2 of their rebuild. The grim outside projections were validated when they went 1-10-0 out of the gate, digging such a deep hole that the team’s post-season hopes looked to be buried just four weeks into the schedule.
However, talk of the Pats’ demise may have been premature.
“When you’re 1-and-10 and you’re talking about being in a playoff spot, it’s kind of tough to wrap your head around that,” offered goalie Max Paddock. “I think the turning point was us saying, ‘Let’s just go and try to have fun’ ... and not focus on what’s outside the rink. We knew if we stuck to that, things would start turning around and they have been so far.”
The Pats (10-18-3-1) entered the midseason break playing their best hockey of the year. That trend continued on the first weekend of the second half, posting consecutive wins over the Moose Jaw Warriors (5-2 and 5-0).
Although there’s still a long way to go, those post-season aspirations suddenly don’t appear quite so unrealistic.
“I think it’s very realistic,” captain Austin Pratt said after Saturday’s 5-0 decision over Moose Jaw. “(Making the playoffs) was always a thought in the back of our minds. We had that bad start. We’d like to get that back, but what’s in the past is in the past. If we string together a really good run in the second half, there’s no reason why we can’t catch some teams.”
They already have.
The WHL’S former cellar-dwellers leapfrogged the Swift Current Broncos and Prince George Cougars in early December before doing the same on Saturday to the Warriors, who now trail Regina by two points with one game in hand.
Moose Jaw has lost 13 of its past 14 games and fallen into the East Division basement — a consequence of the team’s youth movement.
“It’s going to be tough to win games, we know that,” admitted Warriors head coach Tim Hunter. “The reality is, we’re the youngest team in the league. But it has taken (the Pats) three months to catch us.”
Next up is the Red Deer Rebels, who are only three points ahead of Regina despite having played two more games. The Pats also hold games in hand on the Seattle Thunderbirds (two) and Tri-city Americans (one), both of whom are just five points up.
The ultimate target is the Brandon Wheat Kings, who occupy the final wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pats (with three games in hand) have climbed within nine points of Brandon, courtesy of a four-point swing on the weekend.
“We’re not in the race yet, but we’re working towards getting into the race,” said head coach Dave Struch. “The way the players are playing, they want to get into that race. I can’t say it’s reality yet, but the way we’re playing is the reality. That’s what gives us a chance.”
Given how this season began, they couldn’t ask for much more.
“We knew the playoffs was the goal, but developing as a group is also a major goal,” continued Struch, whose team missed the post-season last year for the first time since 2013.
“The way it’s going is good for us. How we handle some of the pressures coming up against teams that we’re chasing — starting with Brandon (on the road Monday night) — is going to be important.”
So were two victories over Moose Jaw, which allowed the Pats to continue the momentum they established before Christmas. They’re now 7-4-1-1 in the past 13 games, which is by far the team’s best stretch of the campaign.
“I feel like we came back in full stride and it really showed out there,” Pratt said. “We had two unbelievable games — the best (back-to-back) games I’ve seen us play this year. I think we’re starting to hit our stride at just the right moment of the season to carry us through.
“It’s going to be exciting if we can keep this up and get into a playoff race.”
I think we’re starting to hit our stride at just the right moment of the season to carry us through.