Boy’s lost 'lucky' Regina Pats jersey found

What was supposed to be a night of celebration ended in disappointment for one young Regina Pats fan.

Seven-year-old Rylan Worrall was with his family at the Brandt Centre Friday night to cheer on the home team while wearing his lucky Pats jersey – signed by all the players.

“My boys were getting hot from cheering and whatnot and so they took their jerseys off and draped them over the seats (in front of us),” Brandi Worrall, the boy’s mother, explained.

Worrall said after the excitement of the team’s win – which marked a 3-2 playoff series lead over the Lethbridge Hurricanes – the family went to retrieve the jerseys.
  
“We found Nolen’s, my youngest, jersey kind of underneath the seat in front of us drenched in beer, and the other one was gone,” she said. “(Rylan) couldn’t believe that someone would just take it and he kept apologizing for taking it off.”

Worrall, who is a billet host for two Pats players, said other moms involved with the team told her to post on Twitter about the missing jersey.

In the tweet, Worrall called out someone in section 121 as having stolen her son’s jersey.

Congrats to the @WHLPats on an amazing win!! Was having a great time until someone in section 121 stole my son’s autographed jersey!

— Brandi Worrall (@BrandiWorrall) April 29, 2017

Worrall told 980 CJME the social media post attracted numerous messages of support, including a note from Pats’ forward Braydon Buziak saying he messaged team management about getting Rylan a replacement jersey.
 
“I messaged Braydon back and just said, ‘I don’t know if you know this, but we actually billet Adam Brooks and Chase Harrison,’ and he had no clue at all whatsoever,” she said. “He just basically, out of the goodness and kindness of his heart, had reached out to us to get this jersey replaced, which was awesome.”

Thanks for the overwhelming support. The @WHLPats have generously replaced my son’s jersey. Proud to be part of the regiment! Go Pats Go!!!

— Brandi Worrall (@BrandiWorrall) April 29, 2017

‘Did not steal it’

When 980 CJME posted Worrall’s story to the radio station’s Facebook page Sunday morning, a woman commented that her child found Rylan’s jersey Friday night.

“My six-year-old found it on the floor near spilled beer so he picked it up, he did not steal it. There was no one else around when it was found,” Jessica Bodnarchuk wrote.

Bodnarchuk said since she’s not on Twitter, she didn’t see Worrall’s post and had planned to contact the Brandt Centre office Monday about the jersey.

“I was actually about to post on Facebook when I saw this article,” she wrote. “I feel terrible this seven-year-old old is heartbroken. But rest assured he will get his lucky jersey back! If anyone knows the mom please tell her to contact me.”

Bodnarchuk has since contacted Worrall and made plans to take the Pats jersey to the organization’s office on Monday.