Pats beat up Blades 7-3 in penalty-ridden game

The Regina Pats went up 4-0 in the first period and never let up on the Blades in their first meeting of the regular season.

It was a penalty-ridden affair with 22 of them doled out between the two teams.

The Pats ended up on the power play 10 times in the game, scoring on four, the Blades scored on one of their six chances.

Pats captain Sam Steel, who scored the Pats second goal of the night, said the team wants to bring their penalties numbers down.

“That’s something we’ve been trying to address, trying to cut down on the penalties. We had for sure more powerplays then them but still we want to stay out of the box because (the Blades) got a couple there,” he said.

The scoring opened at the 3:27 mark of the first period with Emil Oksanen netting his sixth goal of the season, and the first of two he’d punch past Saskatoon goaltender Nolan Maier.

The onslaught continued.

Steel was set up by defenceman Josh Mahura and Oksanen for his second goal of the season just 90 seconds later.

Oksanen was in on the action twice more in the period assisting on Jake Leschyshyn’s first goal back from injury and then scoring his second of the night in the dying seconds of the first period.

That first period, according to Blades head coach Dean Brockman essentially sealed the loss for his team.

“When you give up that many goals early and there’s no pushback it’s tough to claw your way back,” Brockman said. “We did a good job, I thought, in the second period of trying to get there and third trying to push the issue a little bit and (then) they got one and that’s kind of the game.”

The Blades actually did have the superior second period, outscoring the Pats two to one with two goals from Braylon Shmyr, but the Pats put their feet back on the gas pedal in the third, scoring two more and sealing the 7-3 win.

“I thought it was obviously a good game when you can score that many goals,” summarized Steel. “There were some ups and downs in there but overall it was a big two points.”

“(The goals came) 20 minutes late,” Brockman said. “You can’t be late for any game and certainly when you’re against these guys you can’t give them a five spot and expect to win.”

The Pats and Blades will have a few days to regroup before they face each other again on Wednesday at the Brandt Centre at 7 p.m.

THREE STARS

1. Emil Osksanen, Regina Pats (2 goals, 2 assists)
2. Matt Bradley, Regina Pats (2 goals, 2 assists)
3. Braylon Schmyr, Saskatoon Blades (2 goals, 1 assist)