Pats weather Hurricane in the third
Regina 5, Lethbridge 4
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Regina Pats are a fortunate .500 club.
After nearly two months of floundering below the WHL poverty line, the Pats officially clawed their way back to respectability on Tuesday night with a nervous 5-4 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes before 3,823 fans at the Brandt Centre.
The victory gives the Pats a .500 record (23-23-1-4) for the first time since Dec. 2. It also vaults them past the Swift Current Broncos and into second place in the East Division.
"It feels really good to get to .500," offered Pats centre Kyle Ross, who led the attack with two goals and one assist. "I don't think anyone in the dressing room is satisfied one bit with being .500 but it's a first step. We've been focusing on it for the last little while so it's good to get it."
The Pats missed their first chance to hit the break-even mark on Saturday night with a 3-2 shootout loss to the host Moose Jaw Warriors. However, that result is still part of a recent surge, which has seen Regina pick up 19 of a possible 26 points since the New Year.
"It's terrific," said Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, whose team nearly blew a 5-1 lead in the third period of Tuesday's game. "After a sluggish start here tonight we got our game going -- and hung on. It's a terrific show of commitment and character over the last three weeks."
It was indeed a sluggish start for both teams, but the Hurricanes were the first to take advantage. Less than five minutes into the contest, speedster Mitch Fadden blew past Pats defenceman Spencer Fraipont, splitting both defenders, and went nose-to-nose with goalie Linden Rowat. Fadden made a great move, drawing Rowat to the ice before lifting the puck over his outstretched right pad.
Ross replied on the power play with just 1:45 left in the frame, sneaking a shot from the right faceoff circle through goaltender Justin Leclerc.
The Pats proceeded to blow the doors off in the second period, beginning with a brilliant unassisted effort by Garrett Festerling, who jumped on a loose puck off his own faceoff and fired it home. Ross, Levi Lind and Kirt Hill also scored to make it 5-1 after 40 minutes.
Fadden got the visitors going in the third period by adding two more goals to complete his hat trick. Yashar Farmanara made it 5-4 with 1:53 left in regulation, but the Pats were able to hang on by the skin of their teeth.
"This is our second game in three that we gave up a lead, a pretty good lead too," noted Pats defenceman Logan Pyett, whose team had a 5-0 edge against Moose Jaw on Friday night and held on for a 6-4 win. "That's something we need to concentrate on is finishing off teams. We need a 60-minute effort but the time that we do play well we really stick it to teams. If we can put it all together, we'll be looking good."
The Pats and Hurricanes finished Tuesday's game with 29 shots apiece, but Regina took advantage of its power-play chances, going 2-for-6. Lethbridge was 1-for-4.
"Their power play was clicking and we lost a couple battles down low and in front of the net," said 'Canes assistant coach Matt Kabayama. "In the third, things started coming around. If we would have had maybe about five minutes more things might have been a little bit different but take nothing away from them. They played great in the second period."
EXTRAS: Pyett finished with three assists ... Tuesday's contest was the start of an absurd stretch, which will see Lethbridge play 16 of 18 games on the road ... Canes' 15-year-old top prospect Carter Ashton made his WHL debut after being called up from the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. He's the son of former NHLer Brent Ashton ... The Pats were without RW Kaspars Saulietis due to a charleyhorse. D Matt Delahey was a healthy scratch ... The season series between Regina and Lethbridge ends in a 2-2 tie, with both teams picking up two wins on home ice ... The Pats are slated to hold their annual Sportsman's Dinner on Friday at the Delta Hotel, featuring guest speaker Barry Melrose. The team returns to home ice on Saturday night against Swift Current.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007