2022 -= 2023 Season (Camp-pre-season-regular season)

[chopper]

I think some kudos are due to the Pats for winning their last four. After having a bad weekend they turned it around and had a good week. The thing I like the most is that they seemed to be playing with a more defensive mindset, maybe even a playoff style game. Some of the recent games they have been outshot and perhaps outplayed, but they have found a way to win. Those are signs of a team that might be maturing a bit and learning how to find a way to win. I will never be convinced that the price paid to get Oremba here was anything short of astoundingly irresponsible, however I believe Oremba has played much better as of late and I hope it continues. The Pats need another forward to emerge as a solid contributor.

I thought after a somewhat shaky first period, Pyne really locked it down in the final two periods. The kids has a quick glove hand and likes to flash the leather. A bit cocky and I like that. He looks to be coming around and I like that as well. Pats need a good backup.

The guys have to keep the pedal to the metal the rest of the way. I'm looking forward to these three games this weekend.

[Reider]

They can play as many games as they like, once their current team's season is over. As I understand it, that is why a lot of the top prospects enroll in the variety of hockey academies (Edge, Pursuit of Excellence, etc.) that have insanely short seasons.

Thank you for your response. That makes sense!

The Pats just won 4 games in a row (vs. Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Brandon x2) and they needed the wins. The Pats are in sole position of 6th place in the Eastern Conference with those wins. I"m pretty sure the Pats have 61 points right now (the WHL website says 59, but I don't think it's updated?), which is how many PA had last year to clinch the 8th and final playoff spot. It's probably going to take more than 61 points to clinch a playoff spot this year and much more to finish in 6th.

Lethbridge is always a good test for the Pats, but the Pats were able to get the win at home. Medicine Hat has also given the Pats a lot of trouble. This is the first game that the Pats have beaten Medicine Hat this year. I'm glad they were able to finally beat the Tigers. Hopefully they can find a way to beat Winnipeg. Winnipeg always seems to come back late in the game(s) to beat the Pats, even if the Pats get off to a good start. The Brandon games weren't easy either. Brandon controlled most of the play and got a lot of shots on net in their game in Brandon. The Pats scored 4 goals on 19 shots and were able to win the game. One might suggest that the Pats were playing rope a dope, but I don't think that's the case. If Brandon would of had a couple of more goal scorers, they probably would have beaten the Pats handily in Brandon. Sim played good for the Pats and the Pats capitalized on some of their scoring chances.

The second Brandon game (last night in Regina) was a bit different. The Pats took it to the Wheat Kings early in the game (first 5 or 6 minutes). The Pats were up 1-0, but could have been up 3-0. One goal got called back (off side) and Whitehead and Ginnell were on a breakaway together and didn't even get a shot on net. And then there's a questionable call on Bedard, which leads to a Brandon goal. The Wheat Kings scored a couple of more after that, which forced the Pats to give a big push back for a come from behind win.

The Pats scored an average of 5 goals per game over the last 4 games and they've given up less than 3 per game on average. I think if the Pats can hold opponents to 3 goals or less, they have a good chance of winning. I thought the goaltending has been good over the last 4 games. Sim stood on his head in Brandon especially and I thought Pyne was about as good as we could have expected him to be last night. Lets hope that continues. There were a lot of good things that happened over the last 4 game stretch, but I thought Michels stood out a bit and played good in Brandon, but he didn't see the ice much last night. I thought Brandon did a fairly good job of shutting Bedard down, especially in Brandon, but he still found a way to score a couple of goals and get a few points. I actually thought Brandon did a fairly good job of shutting the Pats' entire offense down in Brandon, but the Pats were able to capitalize on some of the chances that they did get. I mean look at some of the goals that were scored... Suzdalev scores from behind the net, which goes off of a Brandon defenseman and into the net.. Michels sneaks one in on the side of the net from a nearly impossible angle. And of course Bedard's tip in goal was nice, but not a typical goal from Bedard. I would venture to say that the Pats were a bit lucky to win that one. They got good goaltending and pucks were finding their way in the net. The game reminded me a bit of the one earlier in the season in Brandon, when Brandon got over 50 shots on goal and Kieper only let one in.

It seems like the Pats' offense is really in sync at times and on those tic tac to goals, they executed like pro's. It's quite impressive how Bedard, Howe, and Suzdalev etc.. can score from nearly in the corner and nearly at the goal line. But that's how they have to score sometimes when the opposition is blocking lanes etc.

Overall, it was a solid week for the Pats. Now they have to play Winnipeg, Red Deer and Saskatoon three days / nights in a row. It would be great if they could win all three, but lets be honest, they are big underdogs in all 3. The Pats have beaten Red Deer and Saskatoon once each this year, so it's possible that the Pats could win a game or two, but playing these 3 teams three days in a row won't be easy. The only nice thing about this three game stretch is that all three games are at home.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Im glad they finally got this monkey off their back. I dont think theyve beaten winnipeg once since the relocation.

This bodes well as far as actually having a chance(albeit minor) if/when they face the Ice in a playoff format.

[Reider]

All things considered, I think the Pats had a really good weekend. They beat two of the top three teams in the East, back to back (Winnipeg and Red Deer), then they lost to Saskatoon, but it was tied 2-2 going into the third period. Earning 4 out of 6 points against the three top teams in the conference, three days / nights in a row is a win. People can make all of the excuses they want. They can say that Winnipeg was tired or they can say that the Pats got lucky vs. Red Deer as Rebels had twice the number of shots on goal and and almost twice the number of face off wins. But the other part of it is that the Pats were down by 3 goals in the second period against Winnipeg and came back and won. The Pats were out shot and lost most of the face off's vs. Red Deer, but they still scored 6 goals on 20 shots and won the game. The Pats beat Brandon twice this year a similar way. Brandon outplayed the Pats and out shot the Pats by a large margin a couple of games in Brandon and the Pats were able to weather the storm and get the wins.

The wins weren't perfect this weekend, but when it's David vs. Goliath, the wins won't be perfect. This isn't the 2016-2017 Pats team, which could run over a lot of teams. This year's team can score goals, but it also gives up a lot, so this year they're going to have to win games however they can. Expect big wins to be ugly. The Pats have actually given up more goals this year than they've scored. 229-237. It would have been nice if they could have fixed that problem this year. Instead of making improvements at the deadline, they got smaller and less skilled over the last couple of years. Dubinsky, Armstrong, and Stanick are all established 20 goal players or players, who are on pace for 20+ goals this year. They all got moved over the last couple of years. Englot is much bigger and stronger than Spencer and is arguably better built for the playoffs. The Pats have at least 5 mediocre small players on the team and they didn't add any good / big defensemen at the deadline. And of course, they didn't hire a defensive coach. The Pats are 5th in the league in scoring right now. They were 2nd before Bedard and Svozil went to the World Junior Championships. So they can score goals, they're just top heavy. They lack size, toughness, depth, and their team defense is suspect, which is why they give up more goals than they score. If they had better team defense, they'd have a much better record, given how potent their offence is.

Pyne didn't have his best game against Red Deer. But the Pats still got the win.

That was the first time the Pats beat Winnipeg this year and probably the first time they beat Winnipeg in a while. And with the win against Red Deer, it tied the season series 2-2. I'd say that's pretty good. Red Deer was the top ranked team in the country the first time the Pats beat them. I think Winnipeg was the top ranked team when the Pats beat them. With the win, I think the Pats have now beaten every team in the Eastern Conference. Also, with the Pats earning 4 points this weekend, they maintain their 4 point lead over Medicine Hat for 6th place, with 9 games left in the season. If they keep the pedal down and win a few more games, I'm confident that the Pats will make the playoffs. It's probably just a matter of what position they end up in. The only way they'll miss the playoffs is if they take their foot off the gas.

It would have been nice if they added a few players at the deadline and fortified their line up a bit for the playoffs, but I guess it is what it is at this point.

The Pats are 12th in the league in penalty minutes right now. They were 6th in the league last year, so one positive is that perhaps their team discipline has improved a bit this year? That's been a big area of concern for a long time. If the Pats stay out of the penalty box, they'll have an advantage on special teams as they currently have the 5th best power play in the league. By comparison, their PK is currently the 13th best in the league.

Bedard and Svozil have 195 points between the two of them so far this year. They'll have well over 200 combined points by the end of the season. And this is significant because the Pats are going to lose both players in the off season and it's doubtful that the Pats will be able to replace all of their production next year. We saw how the Pats played when Bedard and Svozil were at the WJC and it was not good. Enjoy the rest of the season because there might be some tough seasons ahead.

[chopper]

I think the Pats had a pretty good weekend points wise. They played pretty well against Winnipeg and finally got a win, and probably the only one they will get this season. They were real poor against Red Deer and truly didn't deserve the bonus point but lucked out that game. The sun shines on a dogs butt some days. I don't usually agree with Paddock on much but he was on point about with his post game comments. He was quick to admit that the team wasn't up to snuff but somehow got the extra point. They played the same way against Saskatoon and this time the better team won, as is usually the case. Points wise the Pats were extremely fortunate this weekend. It's rare that this can or will occur very often, and nothing much to really hang your hat on. Even good teams have the odd stretch where they have hiccups. That doesn't often last long and their talent and consistency usually resurfaces. I think the Saskatoon game showed how if Bedard is "boxed out" by a defensive team, it becomes very difficult for the Pats to win. The Pats have to score big to win any game usually. Bedard is the reason why the Pats win plain and simple. IF he is held in check things change.

They should win on Wednesday but will need to be much better this weekend in Alberta. I'm assuming the Pats can win their way into a playoff spot although that's not a certainty. If they do make playoffs where they finish will dictate if it's 4 and out or if they can win a game or two. Things get tighter in the playoffs and a lot more stuff is let go. Usually bigger stronger teams have the upper hand and history has shown that. Unfortunately the Pats don't fit into that mold. Not much point to talk over the reasons for that now!

It's often said sometimes you don't get what you deserve and other times you don't deserve what you get! It's not over until it's over! If the Pats want to ensure a spot at the dance they will need to keep the pedal down, and step up their play especially defensively.

Next season is isn't that far away and fans only have a handful of games to watch the Pats, or shall I say Bedard on display! Next season will without question be the beginning of another rebuild, or more aptly the perpetual rebuild that been the case the last 10 years.

I found out the "Gold" seasons tickets will be $900 with taxes this upcoming season. That's about 3 hundred dollars more than a similar seat in Saskatoon. There are about 15 salaried office managers in the Dewdney office no wonder the prices are getting out of control. It seems like ownership wants to run this like an NHL franchise when it's not even a great junior franchise. About 9 years ago they had 6 managers and $300 season gold tickets. They had senior and student rates as well. They say that everything is better and more expensive. That is everything except the on ice product...FYI ownership and management..still no championships here!

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Leave it to this friggin team to lay an egg against the absolute lowest team in the league, one that is on a double digit losing streak, while they're in the meat of a playoff hunt.

[chopper]

Leave it to this friggin team to lay an egg against the absolute lowest team in the league, one that is on a double digit losing streak, while they're in the meat of a playoff hunt.

Ya for sure. Tonights game was a huge letdown by any standards. They were not ready to go whatsoever. It's a sad commentary when Edmonton had as many or more good looks as did the Pats. I feel it kind of stems from Saturday's game where they played rope-a-dope most of the night and were outplayed and outshot badly. They miraculously found a way to get the bonus point. However the key play came in the second half of the 3rd period when Bedard got hit hard in frot of the Red Deers net. He was down for a bit and skated off gingerly. It almost looked like he was in a fog. Then on Sunday he was tentative, slow and simply not himself. He posted a -5 for the game. He was on the ice for all the goals against. He just didn't look right to me. Tonight he was ok but clearly wasn't his normal self. Not playing with reckless abandon he usually plays with.

Notwithstanding we got the bonus point on Saturday, we have played three poor games in a row including two losses. Now we're off to Lethbridge and Medicine Hat and at this time of the year those games will very demanding. They will have to play much better than they did recently. They will need a bounce back effort. They are capable of winning both but it shouldn't come as a surprise that they could just as easily lose both. It is the meat of the playoff hunt and it's truly a dog eat dog time of the season.

[Reider]

Pats lose 3-2 to Edmonton at the Brandt Center tonight. I was disappointed with their lack of effort and lack of urgency to get the much needed 2 points tonight. The win would have given the Pats a 6 point lead on Medicine Hat and it would have pulled the Pats to within 3 points of Lethbridge as both Lethbridge (Red Deer) and Medicine Hat (Brandon) lost tonight. Also, it looked like Tom Cadieux (#5) covered the puck with his glove in the Edmonton crease with 0.8 seconds left in the game. Is that not an automatic penalty shot? The whistle may have been blown before that happened. They ended up dropping the puck outside of the blue line. Suzdalev got stopped going 5 hole on a breakaway in the 2nd period. Corbin Vaughan lined a couple of players up. Edmonton had OA Loick Daigle (#24) in the line up. He's from the QMJHL. He has pretty good speed. The Pats were 0-3 on the power play. That didn't help. They gave up some odd man rushes as well, which is never good. John Paddock had some fire on the bench tonight. Too bad he couldn't motivate his team to play with some urgency, in such an important game.

The Pats are still in decent shape (6th place in the East with a 4 point lead on Medicine Hat and a 6 point lead on Swift Current) with 8 games left in the regular season, but that was a big miss not getting those two points (vs. Edmonton) heading into Lethbridge. If they would have beaten Edmonton, they could have moved to within 1 point of Lethbridge with a win in Lethbridge. It would be nice to see the Pats play Moose Jaw in the first round, but the odds of that happening just went down a fair bit. In fact, if they don't step their game up in a big way over the next 8 games, they could find themselves out of a playoff spot. Calgary and Brandon are only 7 points back of the Pats. They're still in the mix for playoff spots. PA is still in the mix as well, but they'll need to win most of their remaining games in order to have a chance.

[Reider]

Pats lose 7-0 in Medicine Hat. Andrew Basha scored 4 goals. He would have had 5, but one got called back due to goaltender interference. Gavin McKenna scored his first WHL goal. And the Pats got out played again. The Pats beat Winnipeg and Red Deer back to back, but are now on a 4 game losing streak, after losing to Saskatoon, Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat. It seems to be a regular occurrence that the Pats get out worked and out played. The opponent seems to win more face offs a lot of the time, they seem to have puck possession longer than the Pats, more offensive zone time than the Pats, and they most certainly out shoot the Pats, often by a large margin. For instance, Medicine Hat had 40 shots on goal, while the Pats had 17. The Pats only had one shot on goal in the second period. The Pats do not appear to be playing with maximum effort or urgency. Opponents seem to be clogging up shooting lanes and making it difficult for the Pats to generate quality scoring chances. Meanwhile, the Pats often defensively give up odd man rushes, and quality scoring chances, and if the Pats do happen to be clogging up shooting lanes and blocking lots of shots, the other teams are still getting lots of shots on goal and are still scoring on rebounds etc.. Bedard and co. seem to be a lot less effective lately as their opponents have been doing a fairly good job of shutting them down.

If the Pats would have won their last 3 games, they'd be one point ahead of Lethbridge and in 5th place right now. But instead, Medicine Hat is now only 3 points behind the Pats, and Brandon, Calgary, and Swift Current are all only 6 points behind the Pats. Calgary and Swift Current have a game in hand on the Pats. It appears that there are now 5 teams battling it out for 3 playoff spots. It doesn't appear that anyone will catch Lethbridge. The Pats play Brandon next. The Wheat kings are a team that usually out plays and out shoots the Pats, but the Pats are sometimes efficient with their scoring chances and end up winning. It'll be interesting to see how that game plays out. Brandon just beat Edmonton 10-2 and the Pats are playing terrible. If the Pats don't play like they want to be in the playoffs, they could have a tough end to the season. There's only 6 games left and other teams are playing good hockey.

[chopper]

That was one tough weekend but I seen it coming. In fact the last five games have been real bad IMO. I think there may be something wrong with Bedard. He got walloped late in the Red Deer game and hasn't been the same since. He's about -12 and hasn't put up much points. This season the Pats needed to fine tune their lineup including some big tough d-men, bigger better forwards, and some real grit. They could have added those necessary pieces OR I suppose they could have kept Stanick, Englot, Dubinsky and Armstrong!! The Pats did not fine tune their lineup and now they have what they have to work with. They have a few good players but mainly those have built their stats as a result of Bedard's play. Bedard deserved to have some depth of talent/toughness added to the team. Then he may have been able to drag the Pats further than they are realistically going to go.

While I agree the play as of late has been poor at the worst possible time, I can't really fault the players. It's not their fault that they are on this team. A number of them are not good enough, big enough, tough enough, skilled enough etc. The fact that they are still here is a testament that nothing was done to improve this club for this year. I have a real hard time believing how any GM could think that adding three unproven 17's along with Ginnell and Quiring is upgrading your team. But that's how this goofy situation has played out. This is all on management. Tough teams show up our lack of grit. Fast teams show up our lack of speed. And almost undoubtedly our d-men (save Svosil) are consistently below standard. It is clear most teams are ready to cover and ride Bedard very hard because they know he has no offensive protection. They don't feel that the Pats have enough talent past Bedard to beat them.

I think the Pats have amassed enough points to make a playoff spot. They may drop a spot but if they can win a couple games they should be OK. However like I said before anything can happen and nothing is given! Not one of the Pats remaining games are a given and nobody will do the Pats any favours. I hope they don't have any serious injuries although it looks like Spencer might be out a while. They want to find their game quickly because no matter what, you don't want to be going into the playoffs playing poorly. Losing streaks are like winning streaks; once you get on one they can last a good long while.