Pats win the Pennant!!

[CJSenterprise4]

Woooooooo! They made it nerve racking listening to the radio but they did it!

[CJSenterprise4]

I had to work tonight and i wasn't planning on going anyways but definitely should have. Pats fans might not make it out of there in one piece tonight. Someone who went let us know how it went in the Jaw.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

I made it to a road game for once. Great atmosphere, but too many moose jaw fans for my liking. ;)

The first period was very exciting, and it had a little bit of everything. Big hits, end to end rushes, goals, you name it. They scored first, but the pats answered back right away and then took over with some pretty goals. There was also fights, including one with Cervany and Karpov, the two czechs. I would give it to cervany because of more blows, but it was close. Grantham beat bender near the end too, but it was pretty even for most of it, and the Mclaren-teubert fight was too short to give a winner, but it looked like teubert fell and frasier crane just fed him punches. Poor Mclovin was pissed off at the end of the game too, and tried to start something with the pats at the end of the game again, but at least he could hold his frustrations in, unlike delaronde who was really ****ing pissed off. Little kids were around him being nervous kids seeing a hockey player, and he broke his stick and yelled a large F bomb. I did, however, (continue to) laugh my ass off, and continue to pester the already frustrated warrior team, as I was sitting right by the path they were leaving. Fun times....

Anyways, the rest of the game. The 2nd was even with alot of the physicality and stuff, and the 3rd...well it was a typical 3rd period pats performance until the last 5 minutes. They almost came back from 5-2, but it was comforting to know that even though they could have tied it up, that the odds were low that they would score two goals to win it in regulation, and with one point, SC and Brandon would be out of pennant contention.

Man was teubert good tonight. He was hitting everybody, and created many offensive chances. Probably our best defenceman, though pyett got a solid 3 point night. Watt had a great game too, he can(and did) change the flow of the game with his physicality, and surprisingly smart plays. Very smart with the puck, though I would like to see him shoot alot more. Doucet had a good night too with 2 goals, he was everywhere. One of his best games as a pat. Hill was forechecking like a motherf**ker tonight, and was clutch in the corners, especially for a little guy, and had no problem on the powerplay in pressure situations. Its going to be tough to decide which one of Doucet and Hill stay next year, but we will be fortunate either way.

Everyone else has good games, though Delahey took alot of unnecessary penalties. Can be better defensively, and wasnt really an offensive factor like he has been before. Kennedy had a huge check from behind at one point and that almost cost us the game with the MJ PP. Though he had a goal...dont see that much from Lind version 2.0 here, though he is a good hitter when its clean.

Depape was pretty much invisible tonight again...I think he is having trouble finding his spot in the lineup, as he was being rotated between the bottom 6 a few times. I dont see why he doesnt do what he did in PA: sit infront of the net, and tip pucks/get rebounds. He is tough to move, and is very good around the net. Also a good passer and has decent hands. Kind of slow, but a smooth skater.

I dont know with him, but i hope he is saving it for the playoffs, so he can boost his stock for an offseason trade. Need more consistancy than he can provide. He has had 2 games where he put up points, and in both those games he was one of the best players if not the best in those games, but otherwise, he hasnt impressed this season.

ANYWAYS... the rest of the game again. It was really odd being one of the only ones cheering for the pats this time, and it was alot louder. The old people werent fluffing their pillows and telling people to be quiet, it was actually a REAL hockey game. The can is a nice, small arena and I would love to come back. Nice people for the most part, though I like trashtalk. I experienced some, and a popular response in return from me was the term "scoreboard".

Fun stuff...I also noticed their ice girls are alot hotter than ours(generally speaking). Ours wear eskimo jackets, which take alot away from the whole eye candy factor. Not that Im some perv who comes to the game for that, but they could stand to help a brother out here. The ladies need to give them some air, and let them breathe! (sorry but I had to say it lol I will understand if I see an edited post, kevin....)

But that wasnt a big deal. To be honest, I expected a win tonight, and the most surprising thing was the lack of mullets in the crushed can tonight. I only counted 12. Very odd.... I also found it weird how there is only one water fountain in the whole building and it is hidden somewherein the back. Im still coming back next time, and if we face them in the playoffs, it would be all the more reason to get the small trek to MJ once again.

[nivek_wahs]

Greg Harder's Slap Shots (http://communities.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/blogs/slapshots/archive/2008/03/13/pats-win-the-east.aspx)


Pats win the East

MOOSE JAW — A banner and a trophy.
It was a productive Wednesday night for the Regina Pats, who outlasted the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-4 in a highly entertaining clash to secure their first East Division pennant since 1998. Regina also claimed the Mayors Cup trophy for winning the season series against Moose Jaw with a 5-3 record.
It was the sixth straight victory for the Pats, who clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference along with home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Regina still has an outside shot of catching the Calgary Hitmen for first overall in the conference, which would guarantee home-ice advantage for the first three rounds. Calgary is three points ahead of the Pats with two games remaining. Regina concludes the regular season with a home-and-home set against the Brandon Wheat Kings while the Hitmen close out the schedule with a pair of games against the Kootenay Ice.
Brandon and Kootenay still have lots on the line, so the weekend won’t be a gimme for the Pats or Hitmen. The Wheat Kings are looking to move up from the No. 6 seed while the Ice can still catch Calgary.
Kootenay is currently tied with Regina for second place in the conference, but the Pats own the No. 2 seed based on their division crown.
— — —
Now back to Wednesday’s game . . .
Pats goaltender Linden Rowat stood tall for the fourth straight game, making 32 saves. He repelled an early charge by the Warriors, including a point-blank stop of Giffen Nyren just 15 seconds into the game.
Rowat didn’t look sharp on a subsequent short-handed goal by Joel Broda, who opened the scoring at 5:01 on long a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.
Regina got on the board just 1:03 later when Todd Kennedy was stopped from in tight but his rebound deflected off defenceman Chad Suer and behind Joey Perricone.
Pats captain Logan Pyett added a power-play marker just 1:07 later when his point shot dribbled over the line. Moose Jaw questioned whether the puck crossed the line but referee Derek Zalaski was in position to immediately call it a goal.
Scott Doucet made it 3-1 at 10:55 when his wraparound caught Perricone napping. Doucet added another marker with 6.9 seconds left in the first period, burying a pretty setup at the top of the crease from Jordan Eberle.
The visitors killed off five straight power plays at one point, but Warriors sniper Jason Bast scored right after the fifth one expired at 9:25 of the second period. Pats rookie Matt Strueby polished off a feed from J.D. Watt at the side of the goal just 3:17 later, but Bast — a Regina product — made it 5-3 with just 10 seconds left in the middle frame.
The Warriors continued to push for the tying marker, but Regina settled down nicely the rest of the way to hang on for the win.
“Rowat stood on his head early,” noted Pyett, whose team was outshot 36-21. “Maybe it would have been 4-1 for them after the first if not for Rowat. They came at us hard. To get up by three, you try not to let your game slip but the other team pressures that much harder and it gets tough. Kudos to the guys for keeping it together and playing strong defensively in the third and getting the win.”
History has shown that almost no lead is safe at the Civic Centre.
This night was no different.
“It’s scary,” Pyett said of trying to hold off a rally at the Crushed Can. “As a guy who has been here, this is my fourth year, you’re up three and you’re keeping your focus but you hope the boys are ready to go because in this building the crowd gets going, they get one, they get two, and next thing you know they could be up by two goals. We kept it together fairly well. We were strong on the penalty kill all night and that was the difference.”
The Warriors certainly didn’t quit, but to no avail.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” said Bast, who’s originally from Regina. “We dug ourselves a hole and against a good team like Regina it’s tough to come back.”
The game ended with a minor scrum at Regina’s bench, followed by a scene with Warriors tough guy Frazer McLaren calling on the Pats, who were having none of it. McLaren was suspended for three games after the teams’ last meeting for helping instigate a brawl in front of Regina’s bench after the final buzzer.
Moose Jaw was fined a total of $3,500 and received five games worth of suspensions after that game. The Pats got $500 and a two-game ban.
There was no repeat performance on Wednesday. Instead, the Warriors retreated to their dressing room rather than stick around for the presentation of the Mayors Cup.
It was probably safer that way.

[nivek_wahs]

Mission Accomplished (http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=ce90200b-ab63-4d6c-bd1c-ab2752d60ce7)


Mission accomplished
Win over Warriors puts Pats atop the East Division

Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 13, 2008

MOOSE JAW -- The decade of disruption is over.

The Regina Pats wrapped up their first East Division pennant since 1998 on Wednesday night with a 5-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Crushed Can.

By virtue of clinching the division title, Regina (43-21-4-2) clinched at least the second seed in the Eastern Conference, which means home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

"I was really kind of speechless talking to the kids (after the game)," offered Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, a former Warriors' bench boss. "I'm so proud of the way they played. To clinch it here is really special just because of the rivalry -- and even my own career path. It's nice, but we've got work ahead of us."

The game was billed as a playoff-type clash between two of the biggest and most physical teams in the conference.

They didn't disappoint.

Moose Jaw started the game with a full-court press but Pats goaltender Linden Rowat was equal to the task, weathering an early storm that included a big save on Giffen Nyren from point-blank range at the 15-second mark.

Rowat didn't look sharp on a subsequent short-handed goal at 5:01 by Joel Broda, who opened the scoring with a long wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.

Rowat settled down after that -- and so did the Pats.

Regina quickly turned the tide with goals from Todd Kennedy, Logan Pyett and Scott Doucet in a span of just 4:51. The Pats made it 4-1 with just 6.9 seconds left in the opening frame when Doucet beat Joey Perricone from the top of the crease after a pretty feed from Jordan Eberle.

"I thought we did play a pretty good first period," noted Warriors head coach Dave Hunchak. "To find yourself down 4-1 is an awful big hole to try to dig yourself out of."

They nearly did.

The Pats killed off five straight power plays at one point, but Moose Jaw's Jason Bast scored right after the fifth one expired at 9:25 of the second period. Just 3:17 later, Pats rookie Matt Strueby polished off a feed from J.D. Watt at the side of the goal, but Bast -- a Regina product -- narrowed the deficit to 5-3 with just 10 seconds left in the middle frame.

The Pats got themselves into more penalty trouble to start the third period and Keaton Ellerby made them pay with a blast that popped the water bottle behind Rowat at 2:11. But that was it for the Warriors, whose momentum was largely stifled by a stellar defensive showing the rest of the way.

"Our third period was a lot better than our second; I think we sat on it a little bit," said Hunt, whose team was outshot 16-3 in the second period and 36-21 overall. "We know they're not going to quit. That's just a Dave Hunchak-coached team. They threw everything at us. (Rowat) was unbelievable. He's the reason we got this opportunity to celebrate."

With the loss, Moose Jaw (36-20-6-8) dropped to eighth in the conference, one point behind the Brandon Wheat Kings and Swift Current Broncos. Although the Warriors were concerned with their own business on Wednesday, they were also mindful of Regina's objective heading into the game.

"It's quite obvious," Hunchak said. "You get it rammed down your throat day-in and day-out. Obviously we didn't want it to happen here but full marks to them."

Regina will close out the regular season with a home-and-home set against the Wheat Kings. The teams meet Friday at the Brandt Centre and Saturday in Brandon.

EXTRAS: Regina won the Mayors Cup trophy for the second straight year with a 5-3 record in the season series. Moose Jaw won it the previous three years ... The Pats were without No. 1 centre Tim Kraus for the second straight game due to illness ... The game featured three fights, all in the first period, one of which was a draw involving a pair of Czech rookies: Regina's Rudolf Cerveny and Moose Jaw's Tomas Karpov. It was Cerveny's first WHL tilt while Karpov had fought in the Warriors' previous game ... Regina went 2-for-7 on the power play. The Warriors were 1-for-8 ... Prospect Derek Tendler, 15, of the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians served as Rowat's backup while Jeff Bosch returned home to tend to a family matter.

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

Perhaps this is the beginning (http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=e024fa71-c1b2-486f-98cf-28a0de5969b4)


Perhaps this is the beginning

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, March 13, 2008

MOOSE JAW -- Some things, like the delectable Civic Centre hamburgers, are easy to digest.

And then, by contrast, there is the notion of the first-place Regina Pats.

This is highly irregular. There were concerns that the computer would reject the preceding paragraph. The last time such a standing was documented in this space, the words "playoff hero Reggie Slack'' were also published with some frequency.

Ah, yes, times have changed. So have the Pats' fortunes. After a 10-year absence from the penthouse, the Pats snapped that drought Wednesday by outlasting the arch-rival Moose Jaw Warriors 5-4 before 2,719 eyewitnesses at the Crushed Can.

Road victories at the Civic Centre do not come easily. Even in the years when Moose Jaw has iced a substandard team, this has been an exceedingly inhospitable environment for visiting clubs. That is especially true when the visitors emanate from the greater Regina area.

Victories at the expense of the 2007-08 Warriors are even more significant. Moose Jaw is a solid, well-coached team. If you pry two points out of this prehistoric facility, it is not accidental.

The Pats should not ascribe too much importance to Wednesday's conquest. Despite securing top spot in the East, and the second seed in the Eastern Conference, that placing is unaccompanied by guarantees. Given the ultra-competitive nature of the conference, it would not be a major surprise if there were upsets in the opening round. There is that much parity.

As it stands, the oft-maligned Pats should derive a measure of satisfaction from their accomplishments. They should point to the WHL standings with pride. There is something to be said for finishing ahead of the Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Swift Current Broncos, all of whom are impressive teams.

The road to first place was not without some detours. Over the past 70 games, the Pats (43-21-4-2) have displayed a propensity for losing to lesser teams. At times, they have been excoriated by the fans and the media for playing at the level of their opposition.

That can be interpreted two ways. Despite chronic meltdowns against the WHL's soup cans, the Pats have also demonstrated that they can play with the elite clubs -- as evidenced by three victories in four meetings with the conference-leading Calgary Hitmen (who are three points ahead of Regina in the overall standings, with each team having two regular-season games remaining).

The Pats were also equal to the occasion on Wednesday. At times, it appeared that the game would be a laugher, as the visiting side assumed leads of 4-1 and 5-2. But, in adherence to tradition, the Warriors re-established momentum at home. By staving off such a foe -- which includes future NHLers Ty Wishart, Keaton Ellerby and Riley Holzapfel -- the Pats showed something on Wednesday night.

When they needed offence, unheralded forwards such as Scott Doucet (who had two goals en route to being named the first star), Matt Strueby (who scored the game-winner) and Todd Kennedy stepped forward. Michael MacAngus did so many little things so well, as he routinely does. The Pats' determination was also reflected by the fact that 42-goal man Jordan Eberle sacrificed his body to block a shot on a Warriors power play in the third period.

The Pats' captain, Logan Pyett, boasted three points by the time the game was 11 minutes old. Defensive colleague Colten Teubert was in ill humour throughout the entertaining contest.

It was not an airtight defensive performance by the Pats, who were outshot 36-21, but it didn't have to be -- not with Linden Rowat minding the net. It is imperative that Rowat excel if the Pats are to prosper in the playoffs. Recent performances indicate that the Pats' goalie is primed for the postseason.

The pressure will soon intensify. As a first-place team, the Pats will be widely expected to enjoy an extended playoff run. Regina fans, who have been waiting a decade for a first-place showing, would love to see their team advance to the third round of the postseason for the first time since 1993.

If the Pats can also end that drought, then we've really got a story.


© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[patsdude114]

Fun stuff...I also noticed their ice girls are alot hotter than ours(generally speaking). Ours wear eskimo jackets, which take alot away from the whole eye candy factor. Not that Im some perv who comes to the game for that, but they could stand to help a brother out here. The ladies need to give them some air, and let them breathe! (sorry but I had to say it lol I will understand if I see an edited post, kevin....)





Last time i was at the crushed can the warrior girls were way to young to even be looking at (for a guy my age and im only 26) and the few i seen were well not trying to be a crude here but chunky at best, now maybe they got better looking girls now i dont know.... i know our Pat girls are just hovering around 18 maybe 19 at best but at least they are worth looking at from time to time.....


I was watching the Pats game down at the Press Box last night as they bring web casts in the bar... It sucked for the 1st period as they were having computer problems for the feed to that TV's.... from what i did see though it was a good hockey game, wish I would of seen the 1st period though with a few fights and the 5 goals scored in that period.

CONGRATS to the Pats going into Moose Jaw and getting the Pennant there of all places... must of been a sweet feeling for the boys..... and what was up with McLovin again at the end of the game. God this guy is a sore looser, its nice to have guys who care when they loose but to go out and try to start something again at the end of a game just shows he is a sore looser.

[Dogstink]

Congrats to the Pats for accomplishing one of their team goals and finishing 1st in the East. I watched the game on the WHL web-tv and would have like to have made the trek to MJ myself but couldn't. Maybe next time. I was totally pumped after the first period when the Pats had the 4-1 lead and was hoping they would continue with the onslaught. But they erred on caution and played it safe... almost too safe in my thinking. Fort once I'd like to see them go full throttle for 60 minutes though, just for the hell of it but I don't think Hunt is that type of coach.

Anyways here's to a successful regular season and many more successes in the post-season.

[wheat_city96]

wow i never knew the pats havent won a pennant since 98! seems brandon wins it ever year, but congrats on it, wont mean much once we take it to you guys in the playoffs. :)

[patsdude114]

I really dont think this is the year for the Wheat Kings, your keeper is a good year away from becoming a solid #1 man, hes alittle shakey at best i think. That Kid Line is amazing already and will be even stronger next season so i would say next year and the year after is the Wheaties time to make some noise in the playoffs.