Pats miss healthy scratches in loss

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=dad1d14a-0ac5-45ea-b0d1-90df891209f3


Pats miss healthy scratches in loss

The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, March 17, 2007
The Regina Pats left several of their big guns at home for an obligatory trip to Brandon on Friday.

It showed.

The Wheat Kings scored five power-play goals en route to a 9-5 blowout victory over Regina in a game which had no bearing on the standings because both sides had already clinched playoff spots.

The East Division-champion Wheat Kings appeased a sellout crowd of 5,334 at the Keystone Centre by dressing all their healthy regulars in the team's final home game before the playoffs.

The second-place Pats elected to rest their three 20-year-old captains -- Kyle Ross, Garrett Festerling and Kyle Deck -- as well as No. 2 goal-scorer Troy Ofukany. All four players are expected to play in tonight's rematch at the Brandt Centre.

"That game's a revealer for us," Pats head coach Curtis Hunt told the Brandon Sun. "We left four pretty good hockey players back home tonight and we gave guys opportunities in areas that they don't normally get."

Regina also brought along two callups from the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians: Forwards Matt Strueby, 17, and Garrett Mitchell, 15. It was a successful outing for both players.

Strueby, the co-MVP in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League this season, scored a third-period goal in his WHL debut. Mitchell, who dressed in three previous games with Regina this season, recorded his first WHL point with an assist on Mike Reich's goal

Brandon's Mark Derlago and Codey Burki beat goaltender Tommy Tartaglione with the first two shots of the game. Reich replied with the Pats' first shot.

Tartaglione was pulled early in the second period after giving up five goals on 12 shots. Linden Rowat stopped 16 of 20 shots in relief.

Burki, Derlago and Andrew Clark scored two goals apiece for the Wheat Kings, who got singles from Daniel Bartek, Robert Klinkhammer and Nathan Green.

Logan Pyett added two goals and one assist for the Pats while rookie Jordan Eberle contributed one goal, his team-leading 27th, and two assists.

"We definitely didn't come to play in the first period," said Pyett. "We were sleeping and we didn't want to play in our own end. We had a young roster, but we all know what the systems are and what-not and we didn't stick to the gameplan."

Tyler Plante made 15 saves for the Wheat Kings, who also learned on Friday that they'll meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round of the playoffs. Prince Albert beat the Saskatoon Blades 5-0 while the Swift Current Broncos pounded the Moose Jaw Warriors 7-2, eliminating Saskatoon and Moose Jaw from playoff contention.

Regina faces Swift Current in the other East Division series.

SCOUTING REPORT

BRANDON (41-20-2-8) at REGINA (35-28-2-6)

Today, 7 p.m., Brandt Centre

Radio: 620 CKRM

Key injuries: REGINA -- F Jared Jagow (groin, day-to-day), RW Niko Snellman (hand, indefinite); BRANDON -- RW Juraj Simek (sprained ankle, day-to-day), RW Ryan Reaves (strep throat, day-to-day).

Overview: Tonight's contest is the final game of the regular season for both teams. Regina has already won the season series against the Wheat Kings with a record of 5-2-1-0 . . . After resting four key veterans on Friday in Brandon -- C Kyle Ross, C Garrett Festerling, D Kyle Deck and LW Troy Ofukany -- the Pats are expected to ice a team which closely resembles their playoff lineup . . . Before missing Friday's contest, Ross was the only member of the Pats in line to play in every regular-season game. D Craig Schira missed his first game Wednesday in Prince Albert but returned Friday . . . With 67 points, Ross is three behind Festerling in the battle for the team scoring title. Ofukany's 25 goals place him two back of rookie Jordan Eberle . . . RW Kaspars Saulietis is one goal away from becoming Regina's sixth 20-goal scorer. Ofukany is one point shy of becoming the team's sixth 50-point man . . . Brandon C Mark Derlago can clinch the WHL goal-scoring title tonight. He has 45 goals in 71 games . . . With 84 points, Codey Burki of the Wheat Kings is poised for a top-five finish.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

[witness]

OK, I need to rant. What the hell was Hunt thinking??? This was the stupidest move ever (which leads me to think that it was Parker's idea). You stand in front of the media and tell everyone that you want to go into the playoffs on a roll and then you turn around and scratch 4 of your top 6 players? I would image that the Pats management is in damage control, big time. What does this tell the players?
1. You have two young goaltenders that got lit up last night. Where is their confidence going to be?
2. You put players in roles that they are not comfortable playing in. When the experiment fails you come on the post game and say something like 'the proof is in the pudding'? If you ask me, they were set up to fail. Leave some of your best players at home, thinking your role players can compete with the top team in your division? I really got to believe that Hunt isn't that stupid.
3. You tell the leaders of the team that this is their team and the team lives or dies by their leaders. And then you leave them at home? And then you wonder on the post game about the lack of leadership.
4. And what about the players that you left at home? Especially the 3 twenty year olds. This organization owes them. All three had set personal goals for the season, where those considered?? Ross wanted to be the iron man, especially since the accident last year. Deck has already missed enough games and wants to play because he is finally feeling great. And Festerling absolutely hates to be scratched for any reason.
5. You are in the playoffs and you are auditioning players in roles for next year??? That is what next year's pre season is for.
6. Your speciality teams were starting to become a huge factor in games. And in some games the difference. The pk went 5 (or was it 6) for 9. Where is that confidence level?

This is not something that I would expect from a coach with Hunts creditials. I just hope that the players can shake it off.

OK rant is over. I feel better. Thanks for listening.

[patsdude114]

First off there is nothing wrong with giving your top guys a rest when your team is on the road. The game meant nothing, give your top guys a rest cuz we need to lean on them in the playoffs. As for the confidence thing it wont effect either goalie, Rowat is a top goalie in the league at age 17 a so called bad game wont effect him, it will make him and Tommy-T that much better.

The game on Saturday night was still a nothing game. The 1st 2 periods showed, those periods were prob the most boring periods of the season. The 3rd period you could tell players were getting sick of each other (after seeing them back to back nights) and the fights showed that in the 3rd the game finally had some fireworks/intensity. Also as you could tell Rowat wasnt effected at all from Fridays game, so i guess that means it didnt hurt his confidence nor did i ever think it would. Our PP and PK have been good all year a bad game from time to time happens doesnt mean the tent folds.