Pats finish season series with clean sweep of P.A.

Just call the Pats perfect – against the Raiders that is.

Regina played their second last home game of the season against their eastern division rivals, beating them 3-2 in a shootout.

And what a shootout it was.

Twenty-year-old Jesse Gabrielle pulled off an incredible shot that slid five-hole to seal the win and the forward could not contain himself after.

Here's another look at @JesseGabrielle's shootout game winning goal.#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/GYkXdHKjG4

— x – Regina Pats (@WHLPats) March 15, 2018

“I was trying to play it off cool, but I couldn’t I was just too pumped I got it so I couldn’t hold it back for that one,” Gabrielle said of his two-footed leap off the ice afterward.

“(Head coach) John (Paddock) told me I was going first, and I kind of got a grin on my face. I wanted to try to this move I’ve been working on it since January,” he explained. “It was really nice it worked out for sure and it didn’t go into his pads or anything.”

The win marked meant the Pats won all eight games against the Raiders this season, though Prince Albert always puts up a fight.

“They play us hard, good games, but we find a way,” said captain Sam Steel.

The Pats had just returned from a five-game central division swing while the city played host the Brier last week and came home all the better for it, having won every one of them. Wednesday night’s win extended their streak to six games.

It was the Raiders that struck first, however, with Jordy Stallard going top shelf on goaltender Max Paddock around the halfway mark of the first period, for his 44th of the year.

Both teams would hold it down for the rest of the period carrying the 1-0 score into the first intermission.

The Pats came out firing in the second and were rewarded when Sam Steel knocked in his 32nd goal of the season. Steel is currently riding a 12-game point streak.

But Prince Albert didn’t stay idle for long. Taking advantage of the Pats defence Regan Nagy took a perfect feed from Parker Kelly and Paddock didn’t stand a chance giving the Raiders a 2-1 lead.

The penalty box got a little crowded in the third period with Nick Henry and Matt Bradley of the Pats and Jeremy Masella and Zack Hayes of the Raiders entered the box for scrapping, but it was on the powerplay that the Pats really got going.

Cameron Hebig and Steel pushed forward on a shorthanded opportunity and Hebig was able to get past Raiders goaltender Curtis Meger by jamming the rebound.

The goal from Hebig, his 41st of the season, tied things up for the Pats with eight minutes left held through the period.

Solid efforts from goaltenders in the overtime period, held off the scoring in three-on-three overtime and the game went to shootouts.

And while Stallard, McDonald and Kelly for P.A. and Steel for Regina all got attempts, Gabrielle’s goal was all that was needed as Max Paddock slammed the door for his teammates.

The Pats have Thursday off before squaring off in back-to-back games against the Swift Current Broncos – the same team the Pats could play in the first round of the playoffs.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Brandt Centre.

THREE STARS

1. Sam Steel, Regina Pats (1 goal, 1 assist)
2. Curtis Meger, Prince Albert Raiders (33 saves)
3. Max Paddock, Regina Pats (31 saves)