Regina Pats down Raiders 5-2, sweep Prince Albert to start WHL season

For the first time in more than a year, there were fans in attendance for a WHL game at the Brandt Centre on Saturday and they did not leave disappointed.

With the cameras rolling, broadcasting the game nationally, the Regina Pats sent them home with a 5-2 win over the Prince Albert Raiders, sweeping a home-and-home series to open the WHL season.

“To have the support of our people here was fantastic and I know the fans really appreciate it and so does the coaching staff and all of our management team. It was awesome,” Regina head coach Dave Struch said.

The victory followed a 3-1 win in Prince Albert the night before. Struch said the team was “a little tired” because of the quick turnaround and appreciated the lift from the crowd of 4,292.

“To have that motivation … and a good (raucous) crowd, it was really wonderful to help the boys. Especially when you’re grinding,” he said.

Struch got a pair of three-point games from forwards Sloan Stanick and Cole Carrier en route to Saturday’s win.

Stanick scored two goals including the eventual game-winner late in the second period, finding the open net after taking a feed across the slot from defenceman Stanislav Svozil. Stanick also recorded an assist on Carrier’s goal earlier in the period.

On his multi-point performance, Stanick spoke about the work he put in during the offseason.

“I was on the ice all summer. (I was) just thinking (I) wanted to be more physical out there and I think it’s paying off, getting in the corners and just playing my game again,” he said.

Stanick’s linemate has noticed.

“It’s incredible to watch, actually. He’s breaking into those openings, he’s getting in the right positions. It’s rewarding him,” Carrier said.

Struch said he’s been pleased by the line of Stanick, Carrier and Zack Smith.

“They all work extremely hard. They play as a unit. They’ve been that way for a while now. We’re really pleased with the chemistry that they’re building as a threesome,” he said.

“They’re 200-foot players. They all take their jobs seriously defensively in addition to the offence.”

Connor Bedard, the exceptional status player who’s drawn tons of attention from fans and media, had a quiet game for the most part, but still managed to find the back of the net in the third period.

As the team finds itself frequently in the spotlight, Struch said they have been drilling in good habits, spending the last month on conditioning and systems.

“When you get into situations like this where there’s a lot of emotion and there’s a lot of media and attention to the game, you really need to be able to fall back on your structure and your game so you don’t get derailed and off what you’re trying to accomplish,” he said.

“Forget about what we would call the white noise and stick to the game plan.”