Pats win game 1

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

I'll make some more comments later, though it was an awesome game. Even if the broncos took it, which they could have(that close), it wouldnt have felt like a loss. Still more games in the series, and if every game is like this one, then perhaps the series could be closer than I thought.

That being said, Broncos suck, we win game 1 dancing pi

PS: I heard that Wilson left the game with a concussion. Those last at least a week, so thats bad news for the broncos.

[Dogstink]

I thought the Swift goalie - Yonkman - really held them in the game. Without his performance the score could have been more lopsided. I also wish the refs would let the boys (on both teams) play hockey already, c'mon it's the playoffs... not figure skating.

[patsdude114]

There were some borderline calls on both sides tonight, but the fans were treated to a great hockey game. The Pats came out early and set the tone physically within the 1st 10 seconds of the game Leffler smoked Wilson behind the net, Wilson never returned which was a huge blow to the Broncos backend. Hear its a concussion most likely out for a week at least. But who knows it is playoff time and injuries get hidden, could be just a sore shoulder for all we know lol.

Yonkman played fantasic tonight, the Pats threw everything at him (35 shots) and Yonkman was there to with big saves all night. The Pats kept coming all night with the physical play big hits it seemed shift after shift. I cant remember who it was at the mid point in the 1st period but 1 of the Broncos caught Bartley coming around the net after a faceoff win and just smoked Bartley, was prob the biggest hit all night by the Broncos. One of the keys for the Pats also was their success in the face-off circle, Kraus, Doucet and Hill all took big draws all over the ice. I had watched part of a Pats practise this week and for the 10 mins that i was there Strueby (Todd) was just dropping pucks for our centermen looks like it might of paid off.

Rowat wasnt tested much with quality shots but when he was he was there to make the key saves. The goal he did give up was a great passing play by the Broncos Rowat had no chance, was 1 of the nicest goals i have seen this month at the Brandt Center. Rowat still scares me when he plays the puck but in the last month or so seems like he has alittle more confidence behind the net.

I was very shocked with Levi Nelson, last season in the playoffs he was a throne in the Pats side was a real pest. Tonight though i thought he was pretty much invisible with after the whisle stuff. Watt tonight was the super pest, him and Smith were jawing all night. Finally in the 2nd period they both had enough of each other (and this is only Game 1) and the 2 fought infront of the Broncos bench. Again in the 3rd they were beaking at each other and picked up unsportsmanlike minors. This is what i love about playoff match ups are these little on-ice battles between certain players. After awhile you get sick of seeing the same guy checking, slashing and beaking off to you. lol

I must say Bronco fans I havent seen Dudas play much but wow is this guy a soild Dman, logged alot of ice tonight and made good plays all over the ice. As for some Pat Dmen i thought Pyett was invisible out their, which can be good and bad. If your not noticing a Dman on the ice just shows he isnt making mistakes, but also shows he isnt jumping into the rush creating scoring chances so its a catch 22 thing lol.......

Cant wait for tomorrow night, Game 2 lets do it all over again, if saturday nights game is anything like Game 1 the fans will be treated to another GREAT game.....

come on Regina lets sell out the Brandt Center Saturday night we were 300 shy of a sell out, thats 300 people who missed a great hockey game.

GO PATS GO





*oh 1 more thing...... HUNT please take Kulchar out of the line-up, Pym looks way more confident back there*

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...0-358f6ff8c6b0

Pats take Game 1 by force

Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, March 22, 2008

The opening night of the WHL playoffs was a big hit for the Regina Pats.

The East Division champions set the physical tone on Friday night and rode a dominant defensive effort to a 2-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos before 5,945 fans at the Brandt Centre.

With the victory, the Pats took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal. Game 2 goes tonight at the Brandt Centre.

"They were the better team -- plain and simple," admitted Broncos head coach/GM Dean Chynoweth. "They followed their gameplan. We knew they were going to come out and hit everything that moved. They did that."

The Pats made no secret of their intention to use their size advantage against the speedy Broncos -- but first they'd have to catch 'em.

Brett Leffler did just that on the very first shift of the game when he plowed Michael Wilson behind the net and knocked the Swift Current blueliner loopy. Wilson had to be helped to the dressing room and didn't return.

"The first shift we're out there to play physical and get some hits," Leffler said of Regina's checking line, which also includes Kirt Hill and Ryan DePape. "You don't like to see guys get hurt but I'm going to finish my checks all day."

Regina's early momentum resulted in a power-play goal by Colten Teubert, who whacked a loose puck past goalie Travis Yonkman at 7:17. Zack Smith replied with 3:55 left in the first period for the Broncos, who were outshot 10-2 in the first 10 minutes but recorded eight of the final 10 shots in the frame.

Regina's power play went back to work early in the second period. Tim Kraus took advantage, banging a rebound into the open side at 5:16 for the eventual game-winner.

After outshooting Swift Current 11-4 in the second period, the Pats continued to come in waves but couldn't beat netminder Yonkman, who finished with a stellar 33-save effort. Pats goaltender Linden Rowat was sharp when called upon, weathering a few crease-crashing storms en route to a 19-save performance.

"It takes (all) six players to play defensive hockey and it takes work and a real commitment to the guy beside you," noted Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. "As you saw on their goal, if you give them any room, they're going to make you pay."

In the end, the Broncos paid for their inability to handle Regina's size and physical advantage, especially down low. The Pats were unable to turn their territorial advantage into a decisive gap on the scoreboard, but they didn't let up, either.

"My biggest concern was that we not get frustrated with our play," Hunt said. "I thought we were playing a good game, we had good energy, we were able to roll our lines. The concern is do you back off and start to cheat from a player's perspective to try to push for that third goal. In the end you just have to continue to play. (Rowat) was big when we needed him."

The scenario doesn't change for Game 2, where Chynoweth will be looking for more "urgency" from his troops. The Pats, meanwhile, will look to continue what they started on Friday.

"No one likes getting hit," added Pats right-winger J.D. Watt, who was a physical catalyst and a thorn in the Broncos' sides all night. "I don't like getting hit and I guarantee they don't like getting hit either. In a seven game playoff series you remember every hit. It doesn't matter if it's a small one or a big one. You remember it."

EXTRAS: The Pats finished 2-for-7 on the man advantage. Swift Current went 0-for-7 in the absence of Wilson, their power-play quarterback, who suffered an apparent head injury. His status for tonight's game is unknown ... The crowd included a large contingent of Broncos' fans, many of whom arrived via a fan bus ... LW Josh Elder (knee) was Regina's lone injury scratch. D Dallas Jackson, D Alex Pym, LW Cody Hanson and F Jordan Weal were healthy ... The Broncos sat D Joel Rogers, F Taylor Vause and F Brad Hoban ... The WHL announced its Western Conference award winners and first team all-stars on Thursday. They appear in Local ScoreBoard.


© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...4-46ef4b4326f4

Broncos get treated roughly in Regina

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Saturday, March 22, 2008

Too many Western Hockey League games have been marred by a disruption of flow. On Friday, that was only a problem in the Brandt Centre's south-side washrooms.

With many of the toilets out of order, some fans were forced to hold on until the end -- thereby emulating the Regina Pats, who preserved a tenuous lead against the Swift Current Broncos.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Pats celebrated a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of a best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

The arena was flush with excitement, thanks to the Pats' liveliest crowd of the season -- numbering 5,945. Unlike last year, the Pats' patrons were not drowned out by the boisterous Broncos boosters, who still made themselves heard on Friday.

(In keeping with the state of the lavatories, an overflow crowd would have been appropriate. But you can't have everything, right?)

On an evening when plumbers were required, the Pats delivered in that regard -- on the ice, anyway. Several gritty performances played a key role in Regina's hard-fought victory.

Brett Leffler, for example, established the physical tone 10 seconds into the game with a devastating hit on Broncos defenceman Michael Wilson, who did not return due to an, er, upper-body injury.

Leffler also impacted the game at 5:55 of the opening stanza, when he barged toward the net and forced the Broncos' Ryan Molle to take a holding penalty. Regina's Colten Teubert opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.

Leffler also stung the Broncos last year -- scoring the series winner in overtime of Game 6. He continues to be a nemesis for the Broncos.

And then there is J.D. Watt, who can be more irritating than a Neil Diamond medley (or, for old times' sake, a Henry Burris column).

The Pats acquired Watt from the Red Deer Rebels because of his playoff pedigree -- he had a team-high 34 goals for the Memorial Cup-champion Vancouver Giants last season -- and his comportment.

Off the ice, Watt is affable and insightful. On the ice, he carries himself like a decorated graduate of the Dick Cheney Charm School. The 20-year-old winger was in the middle of countless collisions Friday night, when he finished every check.

Watt also engaged in a second-period fight with the Broncos' Zack Smith. As a post-script to the pugilism, which occurred in front of the visitors' bench, Watt heard disparaging comments from a number of Broncos -- who were playing right into his hands. Right then and there, it was evident that Watt had rankled the foe. That is precisely why Pats GM Brent Parker acquired him in January.

En route to the penalty box, Watt made a WWE-style gesture and exhorted the crowd to make noise. The spectators happily obliged, for a change. The buzz in the arena was palpable, in defiance of tradition.

The customers were treated to a rather entertaining spectacle, as is liable to happen when the visiting team emanates from Swift Current.

The Broncos, to their immense credit, refuse to dumb down the game. They are laden with skill and speed. They are not averse to taking chances. The attributes of Dean Chynoweth's squad were on display Friday night. Everyone should play that way.

The Pats' overall skill level is not comparable to that of Swift Current, so they must compensate by being assertive and physical. That is where the likes of Watt and Leffler loom large.

That said, the Pats made their fair share of nice plays while outshooting the Broncos 35-20. Jordan Eberle was, well, Jordan Eberle. Tim Kraus, who had Regina's second goal, demonstrated why Parker was determined to acquire him from Vancouver in late September. A superlative shift by Eberle, Kraus and Michael MacAngus -- who pinned Swift Current deep for an extended period in the third frame -- elicited a rousing ovation from the appreciative crowd.

Fans of both teams can anticipate another enjoyable, well-played contest during tonight's rematch at the Brandt Centre.

Now, can anyone fix the toilets?


© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

[nivek_wahs]

http://communities.canada.com/regina...ke-game-1.aspx

Pats get physical, take Game 1

The Regina Pats opened the WHL playoffs on Friday night with a 2-1 win over the visiting Swift Current Broncos in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
Where to begin . . .
Well, the Pats started with a bang thanks to a huge bodycheck by Brett Leffler that knocked defenceman Michael Wilson out of the game with an apparent concussion. It would be an obvious exaggeration to say the game was decided on the first shift, but it certainly did set the tone — and put Swift Current behind the eight-ball.
“Our mandate was to be physical,” said Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. “I don’t know if anybody expected that (injury to happen) but that’s a pretty good hockey player that misses the rest of this game. Certainly you don’t want to see anyone hurt but from our perspective we need to be physical. It’s very well known. I thought to a man everybody finished checks when they were available and competed in those tough areas."
The Broncos went 0-for-7 with the man advantage in the absence of their power-play quarterback. Regina went 2-for-7, getting goals from Colten Teubert and Tim Kraus.
“Losing Wilson on the first shift of the game hurt our power play for sure,” said Broncos head coach/GM Dean Chynoweth. “I thought we were still in the game (until the end) but we had too many passengers.”
Surprisingly, two goals were enough to beat the high-octane Broncos, who boast one of the deepest and most-explosive lineups in the WHL. That said, Chynoweth was quick to emphasize — as he has all season — that his team can’t win on talent alone. Especially in the playoffs.
“We have to play with a lot more urgency,” he said. “Our guys played like they thought they were going to have lots of time getting to pucks or when they got pucks. You don’t in playoff hockey. You have to speed things up, you have to do things at a high tempo, you have to stick your nose in and be prepared to take a bump here and there. I don’t think we did a good enough job of that. They did.”
The Pats' 35-20 advantage on the shot clock was certainly indicative of the overall territorial play. Swift Current did show its quick-strike ability, forcing Linden Rowat to be sharp on a few flurries, but overall the visitors weren't able to sustain any momentum. Even in the third period, when you would expect the Broncos to gain the upper hand in pursuit of the tying goal, Regina kept the pedal to the metal.
The only problem was this: Even though the Pats controlled much of the game, the outcome was still a toss-up until the clock hit zero. Much of the credit goes to Broncos goalie Travis Yonkman, but Regina still needs to find a way to capitalize on its scoring chances, which has been a problem all year.
Watching Friday's game, you couldn’t help but sense that Swift Current would eventually make the Pats pay. It didn’t happen, but one mistake at the wrong time could have easily changed the outcome.
As for the Broncos, there’s every reason to believe they will respond in tonight’s rematch. After all, they’ve done it before. During the first round of last year's playoffs, Swift Current posted a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2 after Regina dominated the series opener by a 4-0 score.
The Pats eventually prevailed in six games.
“I’d like to think we have more experience than we had last year but I think the message is the same,” added Chynoweth. “When you’re playing a team like that you have to play with a sense of urgency from whistle to whistle, shift to shift. I just didn’t think we did that tonight.”
NOTE: Attendance at the Brandt Centre was 5,945, less than 200 short of a sellout. Only about 4,800 tickets had been sold as of Friday morning, so the team got a huge walkup.

[CJSenterprise4]

First off...Pats Dude i could not agree with you more...That's the first thing i said is why the hell is Kulchar dressed and not Pym. Pym had played great at the end of the year. Also kind of suprised Kennedy was in there instead of Jackson. The game was great though and the Pats came out really strong then let up a bit and then came back in the third and really took over the game again after the first couple minutes. I have to say the ref Herman was a joke tonight for both teams. So many penalties that did not need to be called. Watt and Smith when they bumped into each other. Weise i think it was when he give Teubs a nudge and he jumped over Rowat just so he wouldn't hit him. Cerveny's penalty infront of the net i never seen and like 2 more calls that were very phantom but i guess they evened out in the end but you have to let them play. Both goalies played great as if it was not for Rowat the Pats would have probably been down 2-1 at the end of one but he robbed a couple Broncos at the side of the net. And i have no clue how the Pats did not score in the 3rd? They had a couple wide open nets they missed..Streuby for sure. Lets get another Victory tonight though!!

[rx16]

First off I am a Bronco fan, and I would like to commend the Regina posters here for their, in my opinion, accurate assessment of the game. I watched via webcast and to me it seemed as though Regina really played there gameplan well and played the body. We couldn't get our speed going, and we obviously didn't have the powerplay working last night either. Props to the Pats.

On the webcast Rod was screaming spearing against a Bronco player in front of his net sometime in the second period. Did anyone who was at the game see this? The reason I ask is right after the alleged spear, there was no scrum ensuing and both teams just skated off to change. If there really was a spear, I'm sure the Pats would have taken exception to it.

[patsdude114]

On the webcast Rod was screaming spearing against a Bronco player in front of his net sometime in the second period. Did anyone who was at the game see this? The reason I ask is right after the alleged spear, there was no scrum ensuing and both teams just skated off to change. If there really was a spear, I'm sure the Pats would have taken exception to it.

I cant remember who it was on the Bronco's who did take his stick and had it up against Delahey's stomach but there was no spear, Agar was standing right infront of the Bronco and Delahey but there was no spear, from a distance it might of looked like a spear or at least a attempt, but Delahey didnt react to it but sounds like Roddy did lol what a surprise Roddy is such a homer anyways. I think Roddy and 1 of the guys who runs the Advance skybox behind me must be friends, as they are both the biggest homers i have ever seen. The guy in the skybox was whining on that trip to Doucet, the elbow to Watt and the check from behind on Delahey, each call was obvious and deserved to be called.

Also kind of suprised Kennedy was in there instead of Jackson.

Well to me i am not surprised, Kennedy plays his game well, he is only 17 and needs experience. Plus Kennedy brings the physical side of the game. Jackson i think is in Hunts doghouse abit, either that or Hunt thinks Jackson wasnt to jump into the play too much from the backend. I personally think Jackson is better and more confident then Pym or Kulchar, but Jackson does want to jump into the rush alittle to much and we have Pyett and Bartley for that no need to have 3 players who will do that each and every shift, plus Tuebert will at times also. I remember Hunt saying he wanted to get Jordan Weal in the line-up for Game 2 earlier this week, but i dont know who you take out up front as Depape played a great game last night, prob 1 of his best as a Pat without getting any points. Kennedy played well also with 2 good hits and even a good scoring chance infront of the net.





*forgot to mention this in the last post but, did anyone pay attention to the Pats Prospect shootout, the 1st 2 shots by Weal were amazing deke's which ended up in the back of the net, wow Weal looks great and looks like he has some decent size, looks bigger then Eberle*

[nivek_wahs]

I cant remember who it was on the Bronco's who did take his stick and had it up against Delahey's stomach but there was no spear, Agar was standing right infront of the Bronco and Delahey but there was no spear, from a distance it might of looked like a spear or at least a attempt, but Delahey didnt react to it but sounds like Roddy did lol what a surprise Roddy is such a homer anyways. I think Roddy and 1 of the guys who runs the Advance skybox behind me must be friends, as they are both the biggest homers i have ever seen. The guy in the skybox was whining on that trip to Doucet, the elbow to Watt and the check from behind on Delahey, each call was obvious and deserved to be called.

I agree that the "spear" was nothing more than the after whistle jousting that seemed to occur at every stoppage, there was a stick involved but it was nothing worth writing home about (or freaking out about).