Bedard scores twice but Pats lose 6-3 to Raiders in WHL opener

While the Regina Pats fell 6-3 to the Prince Albert Raiders to open the WHL season Friday, the only number on fans’ minds was 98.

It was an exceptional debut for a player given special status by Hockey Canada.

Connor Bedard, the first player in WHL history to receive exceptional player status, scored twice for Regina in a span of 47 seconds in the second period. Both goals by the 15-year-old were unassisted, with one coming on the power play.

“You could tell with my emotion I was pretty pumped. It’s definitely good to get that first one out of the way and then you can kind of just play,” Bedard said.

In a normal year, Bedard’s first career goal would have resulted in an eruption from a crowd of thousands at the Brandt Centre.

In the second period, Bedard gathered the puck by the Pats’ net while on the power play and proceeded to skate down the length of the ice. He dangled the puck past a Raiders defender at the blue line and snapped a wrist shot that hit the glove of Prince Albert goaltender Max Paddock before heading into the net.

But due to COVID-19 and the WHL using a hub model to play, the only source of cheering was his teammates on the bench and on the ice.

“I was screaming pretty good there so I was hearing myself. I didn’t notice (the lack of fans) too much. Everyone came in so fast and they were all yelling so loud so I could definitely hear them,” Bedard said.

“It was such a special moment and obviously we’d love to have the fans here. I haven’t played in front of them but we have one of the best fan bases and it’s going to be awesome to get them back in the rink.”

While fans were cheering from home when Bedard scored, teammate and newly named captain Logan Nijhoff was one of the first ones to skate over and congratulate his new teammate.

“It was incredible. I’m rooming right next to him (at the University of Regina dorms) so I’ve got the chance to chat with him quite a bit. He’s a great kid, super humble. I’m extremely excited to see him play and (after seeing) the smile on his face, you know he’s been waiting for that for a long time,” Nijhoff said.

Bedard’s second goal came just 47 seconds after his first. Displaying the hockey IQ of a veteran WHLer, Bedard stole the puck along the side boards, skated to the middle of the slot, made a move around a Raiders defender before firing another wrist shot past Paddock.

The play of Bedard wasn’t a surprise for head coach Dave Struch, who finally got to see him practise in person for the first time last Friday as a member of the Pats.

“We’ve had a chance to see it in Sweden and we had a chance to see it this week in practice. The practices we had, we saw him do that lots. The way you practise is the way you play so it was something you were anxious to see and we anticipated it,” Struch said. “He did a great job and he was really fun to watch.”

Bedard was taken first overall in the 2020 WHL bantam draft last April.

Welcome to @TheWHL No. 98! #JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/OjoN2uRYkY

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) March 13, 2021

The Raiders earned their first win of the season thanks to goals from Ozzy Wiesblatt, Tyson Laventure, Matthew Culling, Reece Vitelli, Logan Danis and Evan Herman.

Paddock was making his first start in Regina since the Pats traded him to Prince Albert on Jan. 10, 2020. He stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced.

Nijhoff scored the Pats’ other goal.

The Pats are in action against the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday.