Pats get set to open centennial season at home

After a not so storybook ending to the 99th season, the Pats get to start their 100th knowing they’ll be in the Memorial Cup.

The Pats centennial season kicked off Friday night in Brandon with a 8-1 loss to the Wheat Kings, but now the Pats get to bring the hype home to the Brandt Centre and plan on kicking it off with a special opening ceremony on Saturday night.

“It’s a fun time to be a part of the Regina Pats and as a former player, it’s really special for me personally to be involved with this. It’s kind of a dream come true for our organization,” said Pats owner Todd Lumbard.

Amping up the festivities is that fact that Regina won the bid to host the 100th Memorial Cup, which brings the CHL championship to the Queen City to celebrate its centennial celebrations alongside the team.

It also means that in its 100th season, the Pats are guaranteed a spot in the final tournament.

“There’s a lot of excitement,” said 20-year-old goaltender Tyler Brown. “We sold 5,000 season tickets, all the players know that and there’s a lot of hype around the team this year and I definitely think there’s a different feeling (about this season).”

The Pats will be bringing a lot of history into their 100th season, meaning fans will see a lot of tributes to players and teams of the past.

“We’re trying to really engage our alumni, the community (and) really bring everybody into this year that we have,” Lumbard said.

Lumbard stressed that fans will want to be in their seats a bit before 7 p.m. Saturday night so they don’t miss anything about the opening ceremonies.

There are a small number of tickets left for the game.