17 goals and a shootout needed for the Regina Pats 7th straight win

You need a thesaurus to come up with the suitable amount of adjectives to describe Wednesday night’s game between Regina and Lethbridge.

In what started out as a romp for the Pats ended up being a 9-8 shootout thriller.

Regina jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first period, ending Hurricanes goaltender Stuart Skinner’s night early. The Hurricanes, however, made a late charge in the first with two goals to make the game interesting heading into the second period.

Former Pat Colton Kroeker cut the lead to one in the second period and after the two sides traded goals the Pats were up 6-5 with 20 minutes to go.

The Hurricanes threw everything they had at Regina in the third period, outshooting them 24-11. The result was a 8-7 Hurricane lead going into the final minutes when Lane Zablocki netted his hat trick goal with three minutes left in the game, sending the game to overtime.

And while it was only a five-minute session there were 10 shots fired on net by both sides in overtime with a handful hitting posts, leaving fans and players gasping and groaning hoping their team would net the winner.

If an 8-8 overtime game wasn’t enough, then came a shootout that needed seven rounds. Adam Brooks scored for Regina and Tyler Wong extended the shootout on the ‘Canes third shot. Both goaltenders were able to shut the door for three straight rounds until the Pats Austin Wagner got one by Jayden Sittler. Pats goaltender Tyler Brown, who faced what amounted to his 62nd shot of the night stopped Andrew Nielsen to seal the win for Regina.

Brown will sleep well on the bus ride home as the Pats return to the Brandt Centre on Friday night against the Prince Albert Raiders. The Pats seven game win streak has them now just three points back of Moose Jaw for third in the East Division.

THREE STARS

1. Colton Kroeker – Traded at the deadline from Regina to Lethbridge, Kroeker got a hat trick and gave the Hurricanes their first and only lead of the night. He also added two assists.
2. Tyler Wong – The Lethbridge captain led the way for the ‘Canes with two goals and four assists, including a shootout goal.
3. Lane Zablocki – Zablocki got the crucial tying goal late in the third period, which also landed him a hat trick on the night.