Stringer scores winner, Bedard’s scoring streak ends in Pats’ victory

Connor Bedard’s point-scoring streak ended at 35 games Friday, but the Regina Pats extended their streak of games registering at least a point to three.

Zack Stringer — a product of Lethbridge and a former member of that city’s Hurricanes — broke a tie with a goal at 5:44 of the third period to lift the Pats to a come-from-behind, 3-2 WHL victory over his former team.

The Pats trailed 2-1 after two periods before rallying for the victory. Regina is now 2-0-1 in its past three games and has a 24-21-3 record overall this season.

With 51 points, the Pats are four points up on the Swift Current Broncos for seventh place in the Eastern Conference and two points back of the Calgary Hitmen for sixth.

Sam Oremba and Alexander Suzdalev also scored for the Pats, who got 33 saves from Drew Sim.

Tyson Laventure and Logan Wormald replied for the Hurricanes. Bryan Thomson made 22 saves in the Lethbridge goal.

Bedard was held without a point in Regina’s regular-season opener against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sept. 23, but he followed that up with 44 goals and 90 points in his next 35 games with the Pats.

He was riding an 11-game goal-scoring streak entering Friday’s contest; he had scored 22 goals in that span.

The projected top pick in the 2023 NHL draft, the 17-year-old Bedard had a 19-point lead over Zach Benson of the Winnipeg Ice in the WHL scoring race after Friday’s action.

Announced attendance Friday was 5,378, the largest crowd for the Hurricanes this season. The previous high for attendance at the Enmax Centre this season was 5,000 for a game Dec. 9 against the Medicine Hat Tigers.

The Pats are to conclude their four-game trip through Alberta with a visit to Medicine Hat on Sunday. That game already has been announced as a sellout as fans flock to see Bedard.