nivek_wahs
02-13-2007, 04:33 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=d54e6817-f84c-491f-a5a9-dd54bcd8789c&k=6149
Pats playing like a contender
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Members of the local WHL team deserve some Pats on the back.
It is only fair.
The previous two Regina Pats-related columns were not especially flattering -- and understandably so. The team was underachieving and not meritorious of praise.
On Jan. 9, the Pats were labelled "mediocre.'' That assessment may have been charitable. The Saskatchewan Roughriders were carved in that fashion for finishing .500. The Pats, at 16-21-1-3, weren't even at that level.
One week later, the onus was placed squarely upon head coach Curtis Hunt to orchestrate a drastic turnaround. "Surely,'' it was written, "a coach of Hunt's pedigree can extract more from this team.''
And sure enough . . .
Since the "mediocre'' column (no snide remarks, please), the Pats have an 11-3-0-1 record. They have leapfrogged the Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos to ascend to second place in the six-team East Division.
The Pats moved closer to the front-running Brandon Wheat Kings by registering an impressive 5-1 victory Sunday at the Brandt Centre. Regina improved its record to 27-24-1-4. Brandon dropped to 29-19-2-7. Eight points separate the teams. Regina has one game in hand.
A few weeks ago, a first-place battle between the Pats and Wheat Kings seemed less realistic than Adam Sandler's Academy Award aspirations. But now the Pats pose a plausible threat to Brandon, having won five of six meetings with the Wheat Kings this season.
"This is nice for our team because, all year, we had been saying that the talent was there,'' Pats centre Kyle Ross says. "It's nice to actually start putting wins together and have an on-ice product to back up what we were saying.
"We're still not where we want to be, but we've taken steps in the right direction.''
The Pats' resurgence cannot be attributed to one primary reason, but instead to a number of factors. Such as ...
Coaching: It is not an accident that the Pats are 11-3-0-1 since Hunt returned to the bench following a stint with Canada's gold-medal-winning world junior team. Regina had gone 3-5-0-1 while Hunt was away.
Continuity: The Pats finally have the luxury of icing the same team, game after game, with the same head coach in charge. Two flurries of trades had enabled the Pats to add five forwards -- Troy Ofukany, Kirt Hill, Kaspars Saulietis, Myles Stoesz and Michael MacAngus -- but they were infused into the Pats' lineup before they could even practise with the team.
Trades: The aforementioned players have been useful additions. Saulietis, in particular, has been impressive of late. The lanky right winger's skills become more evident with each passing game. Not to be overlooked is general manager Brent Parker's Nov. 2 deal that brought Craik-born centre Mike Reich to the Pats. The Pats are not laden with skaters who play with an edge. Reich is a notable exception.
Goaltending: Not so long ago, the Pats' goaltending was ordinary -- which would not suffice when you consider that the accomplished Tyler Plante minds the net for Brandon. Since New Year's, however, 17-year-old Linden Rowat has elevated his play. Sunday's 36-save performance against Brandon enabled Rowat to reduce his goals-against average to fewer than three (2.98, to be precise). Tommy Tartaglione, although not a noted stylist, has also fared well in recent weeks. Suddenly, nobody is questioning the Pats' decision to jettison last year's starter, David Reekie, even though his 1.74 GAA is the league's best. Reekie is now an Everett Silvertip.
Logan's run: Third-year defenceman Logan Pyett has sparkled of late. The Balgonie product has 50 points, in 55 games. With 39 assists, he is second only to the Medicine Hat Tigers' David Schlemko (who has 43) among WHL defencemen. Entering the season, the Pats' defence was touted as one of the league's best. The blue-liners are finally approaching that level -- which is a factor in the team's overall turnaround.
"It's absolutely night and day,'' Ross says. "Everybody's having fun in the dressing room and on the ice.
"It has been going good so far. Let's keep it going.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007
Pats playing like a contender
Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Members of the local WHL team deserve some Pats on the back.
It is only fair.
The previous two Regina Pats-related columns were not especially flattering -- and understandably so. The team was underachieving and not meritorious of praise.
On Jan. 9, the Pats were labelled "mediocre.'' That assessment may have been charitable. The Saskatchewan Roughriders were carved in that fashion for finishing .500. The Pats, at 16-21-1-3, weren't even at that level.
One week later, the onus was placed squarely upon head coach Curtis Hunt to orchestrate a drastic turnaround. "Surely,'' it was written, "a coach of Hunt's pedigree can extract more from this team.''
And sure enough . . .
Since the "mediocre'' column (no snide remarks, please), the Pats have an 11-3-0-1 record. They have leapfrogged the Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos to ascend to second place in the six-team East Division.
The Pats moved closer to the front-running Brandon Wheat Kings by registering an impressive 5-1 victory Sunday at the Brandt Centre. Regina improved its record to 27-24-1-4. Brandon dropped to 29-19-2-7. Eight points separate the teams. Regina has one game in hand.
A few weeks ago, a first-place battle between the Pats and Wheat Kings seemed less realistic than Adam Sandler's Academy Award aspirations. But now the Pats pose a plausible threat to Brandon, having won five of six meetings with the Wheat Kings this season.
"This is nice for our team because, all year, we had been saying that the talent was there,'' Pats centre Kyle Ross says. "It's nice to actually start putting wins together and have an on-ice product to back up what we were saying.
"We're still not where we want to be, but we've taken steps in the right direction.''
The Pats' resurgence cannot be attributed to one primary reason, but instead to a number of factors. Such as ...
Coaching: It is not an accident that the Pats are 11-3-0-1 since Hunt returned to the bench following a stint with Canada's gold-medal-winning world junior team. Regina had gone 3-5-0-1 while Hunt was away.
Continuity: The Pats finally have the luxury of icing the same team, game after game, with the same head coach in charge. Two flurries of trades had enabled the Pats to add five forwards -- Troy Ofukany, Kirt Hill, Kaspars Saulietis, Myles Stoesz and Michael MacAngus -- but they were infused into the Pats' lineup before they could even practise with the team.
Trades: The aforementioned players have been useful additions. Saulietis, in particular, has been impressive of late. The lanky right winger's skills become more evident with each passing game. Not to be overlooked is general manager Brent Parker's Nov. 2 deal that brought Craik-born centre Mike Reich to the Pats. The Pats are not laden with skaters who play with an edge. Reich is a notable exception.
Goaltending: Not so long ago, the Pats' goaltending was ordinary -- which would not suffice when you consider that the accomplished Tyler Plante minds the net for Brandon. Since New Year's, however, 17-year-old Linden Rowat has elevated his play. Sunday's 36-save performance against Brandon enabled Rowat to reduce his goals-against average to fewer than three (2.98, to be precise). Tommy Tartaglione, although not a noted stylist, has also fared well in recent weeks. Suddenly, nobody is questioning the Pats' decision to jettison last year's starter, David Reekie, even though his 1.74 GAA is the league's best. Reekie is now an Everett Silvertip.
Logan's run: Third-year defenceman Logan Pyett has sparkled of late. The Balgonie product has 50 points, in 55 games. With 39 assists, he is second only to the Medicine Hat Tigers' David Schlemko (who has 43) among WHL defencemen. Entering the season, the Pats' defence was touted as one of the league's best. The blue-liners are finally approaching that level -- which is a factor in the team's overall turnaround.
"It's absolutely night and day,'' Ross says. "Everybody's having fun in the dressing room and on the ice.
"It has been going good so far. Let's keep it going.''
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007