Blades send Pats to sixth straight loss

The Regina Pats’ sixth straight loss saw them outgunned on the scoreboard and, in the opinion of their head coach, outmanned and outhustled as well.

Despite a 5-2 loss in the first game of a home-and-home series with the Saskatoon Blades, the WHL’s Pats managed to outshoot the visitors 39-30, mounting one scoring chance after another.

But Regina head coach Dave Struch was blunt when lamenting his squad’s effort level, counting only six forwards and three defencemen who showed up for the tilt at the Brandt Centre.

“We just didn’t have enough guys on board tonight doing things the right way. And you know that I don’t say that very often, but you also know that I’m very honest when things aren’t right,” Struch said after the game.

“That wasn’t right and our players, they know about it now and they better go home and take a look in the mirror.”

The Pats and Blades renewed their rivalry as teams going in opposite directions. As Regina (2-6-0) slides in the standings, Saskatoon (5-1-1) has notched a point in six straight games.

Blades defenceman Spencer Shugrue opened the scoring 12:25 into the first period when his wrist shot from the point sailed through traffic and over goalie Matthew Kieper’s right shoulder.

Fifty-three seconds into the second period, the Blades expanded their lead with a goal from forward Brendan Lee.

The Pats’ Cole Dubinsky got Regina on the board at the 3:42 mark, skating hard to the net, slicing across the crease and slipping the puck past goaltender Nolan Maier’s right pad.

Dubinsky echoed Struch’s frustration after the game.

“We need every single guy in our team to win games. You can’t win a game with three players, you can’t win a game with five players. You need all frickin’ 20 guys, right?” he said.

“We should have ate this team apart down low. We’re way bigger, faster (and) stronger and when we were down in their zone, they didn’t stand a chance.”

The teams traded tallies before the end of the second period. A power-play goal from the Blades’ Egor Sidorov made it 3-1 before Pats phenom Connor Bedard — held without a goal in his previous five games — broke up a play at his own blue line and buried a breakaway to pull Regina close.

Struch said the team had multiple prime opportunities to score but didn’t. Seen in that light, Bedard’s recent struggles don’t stand out.

“You saw him have five or six good opportunities so it was nice to see one go in for him but I know that he probably wants two, three or four more of those opportunities to go in,” he said.

“He’s a little bit snakebit right now, but he’s doing so many good things right without the puck to get the puck (and) to get those opportunities.”

Goals from Pavel Bocharov and Trevor Wong gave Saskatoon a 5-2 lead in the final frame.

Meanwhile, Maier slammed the door shut on the Pats’ offence, stopping all 12 shots he faced in the final period, putting a deadbolt on the game with a save on another Bedard breakaway.

Maier, a 20-year-old from Yorkton, was the difference, said Struch.

“That’s some credit to him. I’ve coached him before and he’s a remarkable young man, a great goaltender and he won the game for them tonight,” Struch said.

The rematch in Saskatoon is set for Sunday at 4 p.m.