Pats' game day vs. Calgary

[nivek_wahs]

From Rod's Blog (http://www.rodpedersen.com)


The Regina Pats (39-21-42) play game three of a five-game homestand tonight when they host the Calgary Hitmen (44-17-1-4) in a battle of division leaders at 6:00pm in the Brandt Centre (5:35pm Press Box Sports Bar Pregame Show on 620 CKRM).



Regina is 2-0 on the 'stand, after beating Kamloops 3-2 Wednesday and Chilliwack 5-4 on Friday. A combined 11,872 fans took in the two games, and the Pats' home-ice record now stands at 22-8-1-1.



Tonight is the finale to the four-game season series between these two Eastern Conference rivals. The Pats are 2-1 against the Hitmen after a 3-2 win September 30 in Regina and a 2-1 triumph in the Saddledome January 19. However Calgary won the last meeting, 7-1 on home-ice February 19.



The Numbers: Friday's win over Chilliwack was Regina's first third- period comeback this year, and they're now 1-16-0-1 when trailing after two. They're 27-4 when leading after 40 minutes. Regina is 23-9 when outshooting opponents and 14-12-3-2 when the tables are turned. When the Pats score first, they are 29-11-1-1, but 10-11-2-1 when allowing the game's first goal.



The Burning Question: Do the Pats comeback with rookie goalie Jeff Bosch after he replaced Linden Rowat in the first period against the Bruins, trailing 3-0?

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Rowat was amazing tonight, and was probably the difference. He saved our asses on a couple of the (unnecessary) power plays the hitmen got. We may have won by two, but I think the game was even tighter than that. The goals were all lucky, as Watts went off a skate, Pyetts was boggled by spence, Kozuns was from a blind scramble, and Bartleys meant to be a pass. Both teams played at a consistant rate and were both physical, especially the pats. Great win for us.

Its too bad we can't play the hitmen more often. Hope we continue the streak and get that friggin pennant.

[sbtatter]

Rowat was amazing tonight, and was probably the difference. He saved our asses on a couple of the (unnecessary) power plays the hitmen got. We may have won by two, but I think the game was even tighter than that. The goals were all lucky, as Watts went off a skate, Pyetts was boggled by spence, Kozuns was from a blind scramble, and Bartleys meant to be a pass. Both teams played at a consistant rate and were both physical, especially the pats. Great win for us.

Its too bad we can't play the hitmen more often. Hope we continue the streak and get that friggin pennant.
The shots were 38v18 for the Hitmen, I'd say goaltending would be the main reason you got anything out of that game!!!

[JDubb]

The shots were 38v18 for the Hitmen, I'd say goaltending would be the main reason you got anything out of that game!!!

In the wisdom of the person picking the stars (I did not hear tonight), Rowat was only given 3rd star, go figure. I think Watt had a great game, but I thought 1st star was reserved for Linden on this night.

The shot clock is deceiving as Calgary did not dominate the game by any means.

[hobster]

The shots were 38v18 for the Hitmen, I'd say goaltending would be the main reason you got anything out of that game!!!Shots on goal can be quite deciving at times i go by scoring chances, you will find lot of teams just shooting from the perimater alot i personally take the word f the Pats fans and say they played one hell of a game

[CJSenterprise4]

The shot clock did not show how this game went. A very even and well played game by both teams. One of the best this year for sure...hard hitting, fast paced, smart decisions. Spence did not play that well as the goals were nothing great and Rowat played very well. The refs made stupid calls on both teams and we could have done with about half the penalties but the Pats PK finally showed up and was spectacular. Calgary rarely even got set up and when they did Rowat turned them away. The stars were brutal...Rowat-1 Watt-2 and Bartley-3. Seems like a homer but Alzner did nothing to deserve a star tonight. Bartley got under the Hitmen's skin early and often and hit and even scored the insurance marker. This was just a great game to watch and it felt like a playoff atmosphere.

[nivek_wahs]

Pats get puck lucky (http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=41f59f03-b722-4434-a356-ee46c6b1d7af)


Pats get puck lucky

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Monday, March 03, 2008

The Regina Pats keep saving their best for the best.

Regina knocked off the top team in the Eastern Conference for the third time this season on Sunday night, edging the Calgary Hitmen 3-1 before 5,298 fans at the Brandt Centre.

With the victory, Regina finished with a 3-1 record against the CHL's sixth-ranked team and avenged a 7-1 blowout loss in Calgary on Feb. 19. It also helped take some of the focus away from the Pats' mounting losses (11) against non-playoff teams.

Regina cleared a major hurdle earlier in the week by sneaking out back-to-back wins over two teams with losing records -- Kamloops and Chilliwack. The exclamation point came Sunday when the Pats continued a somewhat forgotten trend of rising to the challenge against elite opponents.

"I think that has been overlooked throughout the year, but that's fine," offered head coach Curtis Hunt. "That's part of being in the business. There's always going to be question marks and there's always going to be people wondering. I like the way our guys responded over the last week. We just need to worry about each other as we move forward."

Sunday's victory provided a tonic for two other crucial areas of concern: Goaltending and penalty killing.

Netminder Linden Rowat was stellar in making 37 saves, 16 of which came during the third period with Calgary pushing to tie it up. In Regina's previous game, Rowat was pulled in the first period after allowing three power-play goals on just seven shots.

"It's no secret as of late I haven't been playing very well," admitted the 18-year-old netminder. "It's just mental lapses I think. I just figured, Calgary, they're the best team to come back (against). I did some things differently today, made sure I was more mentally prepared and it paid off. If I was on top of my game I thought we'd have a pretty strong chance of winning."

Rowat was also the team's best penalty killer, holding the Hitmen off the board on all eight power-play opportunities.

"We were terrible on the penalty kill (recently)," noted captain Logan Pyett. "It has been a big area of focus. Once we get that going in the right direction things will be working for us."

Rowat had to be sharp during a sluggish opening period which saw the Hitmen finish with a 11-6 advantage on the shot clock and a 3-1 edge in power plays.

The pace quickened in the second frame as the home team became the aggressor. It resulted in the game's first goal by J.D. Watt, who circled the entire perimeter of Calgary's zone before throwing the puck on net. It hit a skate out front and surprised goaltender Dan Spence.

Although Calgary outshot the home side 10-5 in the middle frame, the scoring chances were slanted convincingly in favour of the Pats, who were continually thwarted by a last-second deflection or a pass that was slightly off the mark.

The stars finally aligned for Regina in the third period -- and it only took 56 seconds -- when captain Pyett buried a 2-on-1 feed from Scott Doucet to make it 2-0.

Calgary responded just 17 seconds later on a goal by Brandon Kozun, but Victor Bartley sealed it with 3:13 left on a bad-angle shot/pass that beat Spence.

"The nice thing tonight was to get a little puck luck," added Hunt. "That's one thing we haven't gotten but I believe you get that by working."

And playing the body, which the Pats did from start to finish. It didn't hurt that the Hitmen were playing their third game in three nights, coming off a shootout win in Moose Jaw and a shootout loss in Brandon.

"We asked our guys to step up and play hard and they did," said Hitmen head coach/GM Kelly Kisio, whose team outshot the Pats 38-18. "They made a lot of changes at the deadline and made themselves a very good hockey team. We knew they were going to be ready to go after the last time in Calgary. I'm pretty sure that's the best game they played in a long time."

EXTRAS: The Pats (40-21-4-2) hit the 40-win mark for the second time in three seasons. They also opened up a four-point lead over second-place Brandon in the East Division standings. Regina is five up on Swift Current and Moose Jaw ... The Pats conclude their five-game homestand on the weekend with games against the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings (Friday) and Prince Albert Raiders (Saturday).




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

From Greg Harder's Slap Shots (http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/slapshots/default.aspx)


Pats knock off Hitmen

It was good news on all fronts for the Regina Pats when they beat the Calgary Hitmen 3-1 at the Brandt Centre on Sunday night.
"It couldn’t be any better," declared Pats defenceman Victor Bartley, whose team has won three in a row. "Calgary is one of the top teams in the country right now (ranked sixth in the CHL). They came into our barn and I thought we dictated most of the game. We played physical, we played as a five-man unit and our penalty kill was definitely going."
Regina erased all eight Hitmen power plays after allowing 13 goals on 35 chances over the previous six games (an ugly 62.8% success rating).
"We’ve been working a lot lately on our penalty kill," added Bartley. "Lots of video. (Head coach Curtis Hunt and assistant Terry Perkins) did a great job of getting us ready for the game. We all just paid attention and went out and executed."
The Pats also got the kind of goaltending they desperately need from Linden Rowat, who made 37 saves after getting the hook on Friday against Chilliwack. Consistency has been a big issue for Rowat but he was particularly strong with the game on the line Sunday, stopping 16 of 17 shots in the third period.
"He was very good," said Calgary head coach/GM Kelly Kisio. "I thought our power play did a lot of good things, we just didn’t score. We hit cross bars and had chances but (Rowat) managed to come up pretty large."
Regina's physical game was also a key ingredient against the Hitmen, who were playing their third game in three nights. They beat Moose Jaw in a shootout Friday and lost to Brandon in a shootout Saturday.
It was fortuitous timing for the Pats, but it's also a trait of good teams to recognize a weakness and exploit it.
"We came into the game knowing they have a big fast mobile defensive core so we have to get our bodies on them," said Bartley, who dished out a huge hit on Ryan Gillen in the first period. "To play three games in three nights, they’re going to be tired, they’re going to be sore, so we had to keep banging them."
J.D. Watt, Logan Pyett and Bartley scored for the Pats, who led 1-0 after the second period. Brandon Kozun replied for the Hitmen.
Watt, who also had an assist, played one of his best games since joining the Pats while his line — with Scott Doucet and Rudolf Cerveny — was the best trio on the ice. It was the kind of effort the Pats need out of their No. 2 unit, especially on nights like Sunday when the top line of Jordan Eberle, Tim Kraus and Michael MacAngus is well blanketed.
Eberle was coming off a three-goal, five-point night against Chilliwack, but the Hitmen fed him a steady diet of Captain Canada Karl Alzner. Eberle can't do it all every night, so others need to step up. Watt & Co. did their part on Sunday. They'll need to do more of the same down the stretch and, especially, in the playoffs.
Calgary outshot the Pats 38-18 on Sunday, but it wasn't indicative of the overall play. The first period was basically a saw-off if you exclude the power plays. Regina dominated the second period, but couldn't finish its chances. In the third, the Hitmen carried the play as they pushed for the tying goal, which never came.
"That's a good hockey team," Hunt said of his opposition. "They have a lot of speed and they have good skill throughout their lineup."
The victory allowed Regina to maintain its edge in the East Division standings (four points over Brandon and five over Swift Current and Moose Jaw). The Hitmen continue to lead the Central Division and the entire Eastern Conference with a six-point edge of the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Calgary caught a break when the Hurricanes lost back-to-back games against Brandon and Moose Jaw.
"They’re fighting for something too," Pyett said of the Hitmen. "They can’t be losing too many games or else Lethbridge is going to catch them. Big game for them, big game for us."
And a big win for the Pats.

[patsdude114]

The shot clock didnt really show how the game went though, alot of calgary's shots were very low quality, but then again we had those as well.... i really dont pay much attention to the shot clock much they should get rid of the shot clock and change it to scoring chances instead.. I would say scoring chances was very even ast night maybe favouring Calgary by a couple chances but not nearly as bad as what the shots said.


Rowat played well, i hope this gets him out of his funk he hasnt been that soild lately but i think he sees how well Bosch has been playing in his past few games (the kootney game and chilliwack game) I think Rowat realizes he better play better or Hunt just may go with Bosch ( i dont see that happening but you got to ride the goalie playing well)

Watt finally had a game where he was very noticable, i had 3 scouts sitting beside me last night (1 was a flames scout) and of the scouts had said they havent seen watt play like that in a long time. Just alittle quick note from talking with the scouts New Jersey really like Mitchell they hope he can add some weight this summer for nexted season as he is eiligble as he feels Mitchell could be a 4th rounder easily.

Anyways back to the game, Teubert I thought set the tone very early last night that the game was going to be very physical. He did deserve both penalties that he received, you cant argue a call when he nails a guy at the blueline who never touched the puck, and his cross-check in the crease well thats kinda hard to argue as well lol. Anyways he played tough as nails again last night I really think Bender has helped Teubert alot with his game as they both play similair styles. Also 1 quick side note on Teubert from the scouts they feel his real down fall in his game is he is to agressive and he cant play on his off wing, has problems controlling puck as he sees things differently from there. I thought Delahay had a great game also last night, he played very solid defensively in my mind he didnt make a mistake out there last night, cant say the same for his defensive partner Kulchar, yes i know he is only 17 in his 1st season but to me i dont think he has progresssed much this season since the start. I would much rather see Jackson play over Kulchar.

I never really noticed before but wow is that White a real pest also but with some high end skill, this kid couldnt shut up during play stoppages. I love those types of players though..


Oh here is a little something, you know how they are taking votes for the leagues most popular player and they want us to vote for the pat player, i say ta hell with that my vote goes to REICH he is hated in like every rink in our division to me that makes him very popular, maybe not in the right way the league wants but its still popularity isnt it lol