Regina Pats clobber Red Deer to force game 7

It wasn’t even close.

The Pats slammed the door on playoff elimination Sunday evening, beating Red Deer 5-1 in game six of the best of seven series.

“We were doing everything right,” said Pats goalie Tyler Brown, who faced just 21 shots in game six.

Brown lauded his defence for making great passes and being strong on the penalty kill. Neither team was able to convert on the power play – which had been ripe with scoring for both teams in previous games.

The Pats forwards on the other hand kept pressure on Red Deer, hitting the net 40 times, 22 of which came in the second period.

“I think we needed a response from last game … we had a great game [today],” said Cole Sanford, who notched one of the team’s goals and was the game’s second star.

“We made sure we didn’t give them much life,” he added.

Pats scoring came fast and furious in the second period, where three of the team’s five goals were scored.  According to Brown, when the team went up 3-1 was when he felt the momentum really shift in their favour.

Now, the trick is to keep it.

The Pats have yet to win a game in Red Deer, and they’ll play game 7 there Tuesday night.

Sanford says the team will savour the game six win for a few hours before they start focusing on the next one.

“There’s no question, no one wants to go home yet … these are the games you live to play for,” he said.

Game Stars

1. Connor Hobbs
2. Cole Sanford
3. Jared McAmmond

Pats Notes

• Goals scored by Conner Hobbs, Cole Sandford, Lane Zablocki, Colby Williams and Jared McAmmond.
• Tyler Brown blocked 20 of 21 shots on net.
• The win came in front of a sold out crowd.
• The Pats will play their first game seven since 2000.