Broncos 2 @ Pats 5 - Mar. 7

[nivek_wahs]

Possible playoff matchup? I don't know. All I know is that I thought that the game would be a playoff-type feel and it did. Both teams played with intensity but the Pats prevailed.

Starters:
Regina - Rowat - Deck - Pyett - Jagow - K. Ross - Leffler
Swift Current - Moir - Rumsey - LaRochelle - Leavold - Nelson - Schenderling

Scratches:
Regina - Fraipont (healthy), Snellman (upper body injury), Hill, Reich
Swift Current - Tassone, McAvoy

Shots:
Regina - 12-18-8--38
Swift Current - 5-15-9-29

Powerplays:
Regina - 0/6
Swift Current - 1/5

Scoring:
1. S.C Stieler, (12) (Rakos, Bortis), 14:19 (PP)
Swift hits the board first on the powerplay as Stieler goes to the net and is all but uncovered and receives a pass infront of the net chips it in for an easy goal, 1-0 Swift.

1. REG Saulietis, (16) (Lind, Ofukany), 14:54
Saulietis recieves a pass in front of the Swift goal where goes hard to the net and is able to backhand the puck past Moir who is hugging the left post, 1-1.

2. S.C Schenderling, (20) (Stieler, Rakos), 11:35
Broncos work the puck deep and the Pats don't cover their men and Schenderling is able to get free and deposit his 20th of the season past Rowat, 2-1 Swift.

2. REG Jagow, (10) (Ross, Schira), 15:48
With a lot of Pats fans yelling "SHOOT" (can't stand it) right at the end of a powerplay and Jagow gets the puck just inside the left circle and rips the puck top shelf past Moir, 2-2.

2. REG Eberle, (25) (Festerling, MacAngus), 16:53
A Swift d-man turns the puck over to Festerling who gets the puck to MacAngus where he is covered by 2 Bronco players but is able to get the puck to Eberle who chips it past Moir, 3-2 Pats.

3. REG Saulietis, (17) , 5:51
Saulietis grabs the loose puck in the right side of the Broncos zone and takes the puck hard to the net while attempting to be checked by a defender, dekes Moir and rips a backhand past Moir for his 2nd of the game, 4-2 Pats.

3. REG MacAngus, (23) (Eberle, Delahey), 11:25
Pats take an odd-man rush into the Bronco zone, Eberle gets the puck in zone and takes it to the left corner... he is able to get a pass to MacAngus who is standing infront of Moir and finishes off the play with a one-timer to make the game 5-2 Pats.

Scraps:
K. Ross vs. Rumsey
MacAngus vs. Leavold
Elder vs. LaRochelle
Stoesz vs. Schenderling

These have been discussed in another thread in the Broncos' forum so I won't comment.

Stripes:
Rob Matsuoka and Pat Smith: Haven't seen either guy too much recently and have to say that they didn't do a bad job but they didn't do a good job either. What I expected would happen did.

3 Stars:
1. Saulietis
2. Eberle
3. MacAngus

Thoughts:
The Pats started off slowly as the Broncos came out hard and skated their butts off but were only able to register a couple shots early in the first and the Pats were able to weather the storm. I don't know but it seemed to me that once the Pats started skating the Broncos didn't know what hit them... The Pats got skating and hitting and eventually took the momentum with 30 shots thru 2 periods... Moir was busy and his armour was dented 3 times. Third period the Pats turned it on and while only able to register 8 shots were able to bulge the twine twice more.

Moir looked solid for much of the game and 3 (maybe 4) goals would have been tough for most goalies to stop. Congrts to Moir on playing in game 230.
No Broncos really stuck out tonight... good or bad. Schenderling, Nelson, Bortis and Rakos played well. Steiler got 2 points on the night but was pretty invisible.

Saulietis for the Pats has been AMAZING the last few games and is getting rewarded for it... This guy can puckhandle! MacAngus had yet another great game... crashing and banging. Eberle looked like he never missed a beat after being at the Winter Games. Jagow, Festerling, Leffler and K. Ross had exceptional games. On defence other than a couple of breakdowns the defence as a whole played really good. Rowat in net seemed to be a bit shaky right from the get-go but seemed to settle as the game went on.

Attendance:
5399

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=c2f83bd9-adb5-47d6-a7e4-d007bf9776cb&k=24668


Opponents get feisty preparing for playoffs

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 08, 2007
Mission accomplished!

The Regina Pats set the tone for a possible first-round playoff clash on Wednesday, scoring four unanswered goals en route to a decisive 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Broncos before 5,399 fans at the Brandt Centre.

With the win, Regina clinched second place in the East Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001-02.

If the Broncos can hang on to third place -- they lead the Prince Albert Raiders by three points -- it will set up a first-round clash with the Pats.

"I think we definitely dominated in all areas of the ice tonight," offered Pats enforcer Myles Stoesz, whose one-sided duel with Jeremy Schenderling was part of some late-game fireworks. "We came out a little slow but the guys kind of pulled together. We outshot them, outplayed them, outworked them and we beat them on the tough end too."

Referees Rob Matsuoka and Pat Smith could have had a picnic at centre ice over the first two periods, calling a grand total of five minor penalties. But business picked up in the third as both teams looked to mark their territory for a possible future engagement.

The final frame produced 84 minutes in penalties (40 against Swift Current, 44 against the Pats), highlighted by four fights.

"I think we showed we can play and if they want to come and dance, they shouldn't have a problem finding a dance partner," declared Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. "That game consisted of all the elements we could very well see (in the playoffs). We're certainly up to any challenge."

Broncos head coach/GM Dean Chynoweth downplayed the significance of the late-game antics.

"I think frustrations boiled over a little bit both ways," he said. "I don't think we played inspired enough from the first two periods to have any sort of recognition of a possible playoff preview. That part is a little disappointing."

The Pats outshot Swift Current 12-5 in the opening frame but had to settle for a 1-1 draw thanks in large part to Broncos goalie Kyle Moir.

David Stieler opened the scoring for the visitors with 5:41 left in the first period, finishing off a pretty drop-off pass in the slot by Daniel Rakos. Regina's Kaspars Saulietis tied it up just 35 seconds later, converting his own rebound from Moir's doorstep.

Schenderling gave the Broncos their second lead of the night at 11:35 of the second period, but the advantage was shortlived. Jared Jagow's sharp-angle shot tied it up at 15:48, followed just 65 seconds later by Jordan Eberle's team-leading 25th goal, an easy tap-in off an outstanding behind-the-back feed from Michael MacAngus.

Saulietis added to the highlight reel at 5:51 of the third period when he danced around defenceman Myles Rumsey before slipping a backhander past Moir.

MacAngus rounded out the scoring by tapping in a cross-crease feed from Eberle.

"It was nice to score," said Saulietis, who potted his 15th and 16th goals of the campaign. "I don't care if it's pretty or not. I like to score."

Goaltender Linden Rowat finished with 27 saves for the Pats. Moir made 33 stops in a losing cause while claiming a WHL record for his trouble. Moir made the 230th appearance of his WHL career, surpassing the league record held by former Moose Jaw Warriors and Tacoma Rockets netminder Jeff Calvert.

"I broke the record and that's kind of cool but I would have traded it for two points any time," said Moir. "It's nice to get it out of the way so I can just go out there and play and not have guys asking me how many more games I've got. Now I can finish the last five games and hopefully get five wins out of them."

EXTRAS: Regina won the season series with a record of 6-2 record ... Pats D Craig Schira played in his 200th WHL game on Wednesday ... The Pats were without RW Niko Snellman, who's out for the season with a broken hand. LW Mike Reich and C Kirt Hill were listed as healthy scratches ... Eberle and D Colten Teubert returned to the lineup after missing six games due to the Canada Winter Games ... The Pats open a home-and-home set on Friday in Moose Jaw before playing host to the Warriors on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=716c81a9-1650-45ac-a454-b022e7459533&k=30203


Pats were actually exciting

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 08, 2007
The typical Regina Pats home game, as witnessed by this seasoned scribe, has been an eye-glazing spectacle.

And then came an enjoyable Wednesday night.

Do not misinterpret this. Footage from the Pats' 5-2 WHL victory over the Swift Current Broncos will not be frantically converted into a hot-selling home video.

However, there were several moments when the Pats treated a Brandt Centre crowd of 5,399 to demonstrations of skill.

That was particularly true at 16:53 of Wednesday's second period, when a tic-tac-toe goal -- perhaps the finest since Pats general manager Brent Parker had abundant red hair -- snapped a 2-2 tie and put Regina ahead for the duration.

Not-so-instant replay: Garrett Festerling carried the puck into the Broncos' zone and feathered a pass to Michael MacAngus, who had gained a step on a defender while cruising toward netminder Kyle Moir. MacAngus accepted the pass to the left of Moir and quickly directed a behind-the-back pass across the goalmouth to Eberle for a rudimentary tap-in.

"I loved it,'' a beaming Eberle said. "It's the best way to score a goal.''

The 16-year-old Eberle knows all the ways. Wednesday's goal was his team-leading 25th. How did it rank in terms of aesthetics?

"It's got to be right up there,'' he said. "It's probably the easiest one. I just had to tap it in.''

Regina fattened its lead to 4-2 at 5:51 of the third period when Kaspars Saulietis stole the puck near the Broncos' blue line, eluded defenceman Myles Rumsey, approached Moir, and parked a backhand behind Swift Current's fine goaltender.

There was more. At 11:25 of the third stanza, Eberle's picturesque pass found MacAngus for another tap-in goal.

This was highly irregular -- at least for this observer.

My timing has been abysmal for most of the 2006-07 WHL season. It seems that my other assignments coincide with the Pats' most-watchable home games -- most notably their 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans on Feb. 27.

Nine days earlier, I had endured the Moose Jaw Warriors' somniferous 3-0 victory over the host Pats. The highlights of the evening, from the antiquated stands of the lower west side, were: (a) Maple walnut ice cream; (b) Excessive popcorn consumption; and, (c) Remembering how to start the car.

That game was eerily similar to the Pats' Feb. 3 appointment with Swift Current. The Pats won 1-0, and the score was an accurate representation of the game's inoffensive nature.

Contrast that to the welcome developments of Wednesday evening.

"There have been a lot of these games this year,'' Parker opined. "You've been at the wrong ones.''

Evidently.

"We've got a workmanlike team,'' Parker continued. "We're not super-flashy. You're not going to see Blake Evans goals (of the end-to-end variety) many nights, but we have a lot of skill. On the back end, there isn't a team in the league, I don't believe, that has as much mobility and skill.''

Mobility ... skill ... Festerling ... to MacAngus ... to Eberle.

It was all there on Wednesday night.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

[higgins41]

2. REG Jagow, (10) (Ross, Schira), 15:48
With a lot of Pats fans yelling "SHOOT" (can't stand it) right at the end of a powerplay and Jagow gets the puck just inside the left circle and rips the puck top shelf past Moir, 2-2.


Probably the dumbest thing people do at hockey games. I'm with you, can't stand it.

[nivek_wahs]

Jon Keen's perspective of the game @ Keen's Korner... I really enjoy reading Keen's Korner www.jonkeen.blogspot.com


No Love in the Queen City

The Broncos concluded the season series with the Pats with their 4th loss in Regina this year. The Broncos just can't seem to keep it going at the Brandt Center. It doesn't help when the Pats look like world beaters as they did last night.

It was a fast-paced game filled with scoring chances at both ends. A large crowd of over 5,000 took in the Wednesday night affair . . . was it rain check night or something? I don't remember that much enthusiasm for the Pats in recent years. But I guess if you're 23-8-1-1 on home ice, you will be rewarded with big crowds.

The Broncos led 2-1 midway through the game before the Pats turn the tide with back-to-back goals just 1:05 apart to take the lead. They added two nice goals in the third period - Kaspars Saulities and Mike McAngus on a nice set-up from Jordan Eberle. Eberle is only 16 but was superb in the outing. He's going to be a star in this league. If he continues to progress, the kid could be a 50 goal, 100 points player in the WHL.

Broncos Assistant Coach Dave Hunchak in the Great Western Rail Coaches Show "We flat-out got outworked tonight, not even close to the standard we had set for ourselves from Saturday night in Kootenay. We, didn't work, we got out worked and took penalties because of it and weren't able to draw penalties because of it. Another opportunity to set the tone for a possible playoff match-up and we fall short."

Captain Myles Rumsey, "It was a very disappointing game from many standpoints, when you look at the effort we've had the last four games, we just came out flat. I don't think we should have given up that many shots, that many chances, just mental lapses left, right and center."


I would give a bit more credit to Regina who seem to really want the win to take the season series 6-2, including all four on home ice.

The third period got fiesty. First Kyle Ross hit Kyle Bortis from behind which drew the ire of captain Myles Rumsey. Later, Brady Leavold didn't like the check put on him by Mike McAngus. Leavold went after him as the two wrestled around and ended up on the ice. I don't think anything landed. 30 seconds later, Troy Ofakany stuck the knee out and tripped up Levi Nelson. R.J. Larochelle went after Josh Elder in the same play. Again, not much of a fight as they went down to the ice. R.J. was sure fired-up afterwards. In the final minute Jeremy Schenderling and Pats enforcer Myles Stoesz separated from the pack after a goal-mouth scramble. They each took a couple and wrestle before Schendo went for the take down. Probably a good option considering the size he was giving up to the Pats heavy.

Pats Head Coach Curits Hunt was owly at best in the pre-game interview. The vibe I've received from him over the last few years is that he generally doesn't like the media - thinks they're out to get him perhaps. Seems like he always has his guard up. I would think the media has been very kind to Curtis over the years, the Leaderpost has practically made him out to be a rock star. It felt like he'd rather have a root canal than be interviewed.

Thanks to former "Voice of the Moose Jaw Warriors" Randy Merkley for helping out with the color commentary on last night's broadcast. Merks had to take a hiatus from the industry because of some voice problems. He's well liked in media circles and would have no problem getting back into the game if he wanted to. He's currently attending the University of Regina.

The Broncos got some help on the scoreboard last night. Brandon pounded Prince Albert 5-1 while Kootenay all but eliminated Saskatoon from playoff contention with a 7-2 drubbing of the Blades.

The Broncos host the Medicine Hat Tigers tomorrow night. I'll post a game preview later today. For now, it's a quick wrap-up of the morning sportsrun on our three stations and then it's back home for some lounging. When you get home at 1am and the alarm clock goes off at 4:30am it makes for a coffee-cup hugging morning.

It's sunny and already +5 in Swifty, nice.

Jon

posted by Jon Keen at 7:36 AM

[Bran]

Pats Head Coach Curits Hunt was owly at best in the pre-game interview. The vibe I've received from him over the last few years is that he generally doesn't like the media - thinks they're out to get him perhaps. Seems like he always has his guard up. I would think the media has been very kind to Curtis over the years, the Leaderpost has practically made him out to be a rock star. It felt like he'd rather have a root canal than be interviewed.
Hehe...I think he may be right, there! Take a lookt at this picture from Rod's blog....
http://bp0.blogger.com/_No9RcUMNZNM/RfCHUFZOmoI/AAAAAAAAAVA/EotQN0EeqYY/s1600-h/DSC00268.JPG

[Bran]

EXTRAS: Regina won the season series with a record of 6-2 record ... Pats D Craig Schira played in his 200th WHL game on Wednesday ... The Pats were without RW Niko Snellman, who's out for the season with a broken hand. LW Mike Reich and C Kirt Hill were listed as healthy scratches ... Eberle and D Colten Teubert returned to the lineup after missing six games due to the Canada Winter Games ... The Pats open a home-and-home set on Friday in Moose Jaw before playing host to the Warriors on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre.
That sucks! How'd he break his hand, exactly?? He's still rather smiley!