Better to be asterisks champ than no champ at Memorial Cup

Old Regina Pats collectables from the 2000-01 campaign.

    Being the asterisks champ is fine and dandy, if you are the host team at the Memorial Cup.

    On Sunday, the Memorial Cup tournament host Regina Pats will try to capture junior hockey’s most prestigious trophy for the fourth time, when they face the QMJHL champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan at 5 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Pats last claimed the Memorial Cup back in 1974 downing the Quebec Remparts 7-4 in the national final held in Calgary Alta.

    Of course, there are a lot of sports purists that will be big time upset, if the Pats win the CHL title after bowing out in the first round of the WHL playoffs.

The Pats celebrate a goal by Nick Henry on Wednesday.

    The Pats did finish seventh overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 40-25-6-1 record and were bounced in a tough seven game series to the Swift Current Broncos, who were second overall in the WHL regular season at 48-17-5-2.

    The Broncos would move on to win the WHL title and go 0-3 in the round robin portion of the Memorial Cup dropping each of their contests by a one-goal margin.

    Regina was idle for 45 days before taking part in the Memorial Cup. It appears the coaches and players used that time constructively, as the Pats seem to be fresher and physically stronger than the three league champions at the event.

    The Pats story this season eerily mirrors the story of the Pats from the 2000-01 campaign, when the franchise last hosted the Memorial Cup. In both campaigns, the Pats were hovering around .500 at the WHL Christmas break, they made a number of trades after the Christmas break leading to the WHL’s trade deadline to strengthen the club, had a strong second half of the regular season, bowed out in the first round of the WHL playoffs and had a strong showing at the Memorial Cup.

Pats captain Barret Jackman in action in 2000.

    In the 2000-01 campaign, the Pats finished fourth overall in the WHL with 40 wins, 27 losses, three ties and two overtime losses. They fell to the Calgary Hitmen in six games in the first round of the WHL playoffs and sat idle for 47 days before taking part in the Memorial Cup.

    The Pats fell in their first two round robin games before downing the WHL champion Red Deer Rebels 5-2 in their final round robin game and eliminating the OHL champion Ottawa 67’s in a standings tiebreaker game 5-0.

    At that time, I lived in Regina and spent a lot of social time around the Pats. During the break, the players’ consensus was they didn’t care about arguments about not deserving to be there or getting in by the backdoor.

    They were working hard over those 47 days off, so you might as well go out and win the thing and proved you belong in that event. For a club that did bow out in the first round of the WHL post-season, the players on the Pats that season were incredibly tight. 

    They were backed by the support of a bigger group of friends they made that campaign through the University of Regina’s athletic teams.

Members of the Pats, the U of R Rams football team and the U of R Cougars teams were frequently out together in the same social circles.

Filip Novak in action for the Pats in 2000 at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre.

    The Pats bonds were really evident during a heartbreaking 5-4 overtime semifinal loss to the Val-d’Or Foreurs on May 26, 2001. With the game tied 3-3, Pats captain Barret Jackman scored on a beauty set up from behind the Val-d’Or net by power forward Garth Murray to give Regina a 4-3 lead.

    The Foreurs forced overtime inside of the final minute when a point shot by star forward Simon Gamache deflected off the stick of Pats left-winger Kevin Korol past netminder Chad Davidson into the Regina goal to create a 4-4 tie. That set the Foreurs up to win the contest in overtime, when a centring pass from Val-d’Or defenceman Chris Lyness from behind the Pats net hit Davidson’s stick deflecting into the goal.

Garth Murray warms up for the Pats in 2000.

    The setback was a gut punch for the Pats, who came so terribly close to making the CHL’s championship game.

    A day later, the Foreurs fell in the Memorial Cup final 6-5 to the Rebels in overtime with defenceman Doug Lynch scoring the winning goal.

    Unlike the Pats squad of 2000-01, the current Pats entered the 2017-18 campaign on the heels of reaching the WHL Championship series last season for the first time in 33 years. Regina fell in the 2017 battle for the WHL title in six games to the Seattle Thunderbirds.

    Star centre Sam Steel, centre Jake Leschyshyn, left-winger Nick Henry, left-winger Robbie Holmes and defencemen Josh Mahura and Liam Schioler are the holdovers from that team.

    If the Pats beat the Titan on Sunday, they won’t go down as one of the greatest clubs in the history of junior hockey that is revered like the 2004-05 London Knights, the 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers or the 1970-71 Quebec Remparts.

Captain Sam Steel will look to have another big game for the Pats on Friday.

    This year’s Pats won’t be held in the same esteem as their 1973-74 club that won the Memorial Cup by capturing a league championship along the way.
    Had the Pats found a way last year to win the WHL title series against the Thunderbirds and capture the Memorial Cup, they would be in that discussion amongst the greatest junior teams having a dream season topping the WHL regular season standings with a 52-12-7-1 record.

    The current Pats still have a huge opportunity to get their hands on junior hockey’s most prestigious trophy with one more win.
   The game will attract a large number of casual fans who will be engaged in the game and not care how the Pats got to that point. They will be consumed by the game in the present.

The Pats hope to celebrate a Memorial Cup title win on Sunday.

    If the Memorial Cup on Sunday means being viewed as backdoor champions, the Pats have enough good players and character to ensure they will do everything they can to make that happen.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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WHL playoffs at its best – Pats stay alive in electric affair

Robbie Holmes (#32) shows his excitement after a goal from Connor Hobbs.

    REGINA – If you live in Regina and weren’t at the Brandt Centre on Friday night, you missed out.

    In one of the best playoff major junior playoff battles you might see anywhere, the host Regina Pats outlasted the visiting Swift Current Broncos 3-2 before a sellout crowd of 6,484 energetic spectators.     

    The win allowed the Pats to stay alive in the best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two clubs cutting the Broncos edge in that department 3-2.

    The Broncos will try to close things out again on Saturday when the series switches back to Swift Current for a 7 p.m. start at the Credit Union i-Plex. The way things played out on Friday in Regina, the Broncos could have been heading home with a series win, if they were able to make just a couple of more plays.

Connor Hobbs controls the puck on the point for the Pats.

    Friday’s battle at the Brandt Centre was a raucous one. While the large majority of the rink were cheering for the host Pats, the Broncos arrived in the Saskatchewan capital with a healthy contingent of supporters that made a lot of noise.

    The action before the Pats 19^th sellout crowd of the 2016-17 campaign on the ice was a seesaw battle that was filled with a number of story lines. The Pats, who were rated first in the final Canadian Hockey League rankings that were released on March 22, stormed out of the gate getting the first eight shots on goal.

    The Broncos didn’t get their first shot on net until the 7:10 mark of the opening frame, when Pats netminder Tyler Brown turned away Broncos winger Lane Pederson from the slot.

Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin scored a power-play goal in the third period.

    Momentum turned in the second half of the opening 20 minutes when the Pats paraded to the penalty box on a trio of minor infractions. On the third of those chances, Broncos defenceman Colby Sissons blasted home a shot from the point to give the visitors a 1-0 edge with 2:44 to play in the first. You could feel a hush fall over the Regina faithful, when that tally went in.

    The hosts came back to life on a power-play opportunity late in the frame, and Pats star centre Sam Steel snipped the equalizer through a screen with 13.5 seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes.

    Early in the second, the Pats jumped ahead 3-1 scoring a pair of goals 38 seconds apart from each other. First, Pats star defenceman Connor Hobbs scored to give the hosts a 2-1 edge putting a puck home during a net scramble in front of the Swift Current goal.

Tyler Brown makes one of his 30 saves for the Pats.

    After that marker, the Pats went up 3-1 scoring a more finesse goal as Steel found linemate Nick Henry on a backdoor feed on a rush, and Henry made no mistake scoring into an empty cage.

    The Broncos had a big chance to cut the gap at the 8:52 mark of the third, when Pats winger Austin Wagner was given a major penalty for a knee-on-knee hit to Broncos overage centre Ryley Lindgren.     The infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

    Pats fans loudly showed their displeasure at the call during the ensuing Broncos power play. A few booed Lindgren, who remained in the game, every time he touched the puck.

    Near the end of that power-play chance, Swift Current pulled to within 3-2, when Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin tipped home a shot from the wall by star winger Tyler Steenbergen.

    In the final 90 seconds, the Broncos pulled netminder Jordan Papirny for the extra attacker, had pressure in the Regina zone, but couldn’t generate a solid scoring chance.

    Brown made 30 stops to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Papirny turned away 33 shots including a third period penalty shot by Pats centre Braydon Buziak to take the loss in the Broncos net.

    The injury front also provided some dramatics also on Friday night. On the Swift Current side, Pederson left the contest in the first period with an injury and did not return.

Pats captain Adam Brooks dressed but didn’t play Friday.

    Pats import winger Filip Ahl returned to the lineup after missing three games undergoing tests for the mumps. 

    Pats captain Adam Brooks dressed for the first time after taking a knee-on-knee hit in his team’s Game 2 win over the Broncos. 

    He was pretty much pinned to the Regina bench and opened the gate occasionally for his teammates.

    Whether Brooks or Pederson plays in Game 6 on Saturday remains to be seen.

    With that said, Game 5 in Regina was a barnburner. Both sides look like they are far from finished in this set.

    Now see what the next chapter will look like in less than 24 hours, because it appears anything can happen.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Pats pound Broncos 6-2 in Game 2 of second round series

Victory comes with uncertainty on the injury front

The Regina Pats celebrate Austin Wagner’s second period goal.

    REGINA – The Regina Pats potted the greasy goals to get back on even terms with the Swift Current Broncos.

    On Friday night in Game 2 of a best-of-seven WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Pats trailed the Broncos 2-1 after the first period, surged for three goals in the second and cruised to a 6-2 victory. The win before a mostly ecstatic sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators at the Brandt Centre evened the series up at 1-1.

    The Broncos took Game 1 of the series with a 2-1 overtime victory in Regina on Thursday night. Game 3 is set for Monday at 7 p.m. at the Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

    The Game 2 victory was potentially a costly one for the Pats, who finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings. Pats captain Adam Brooks left the game in the first period due to injury, and import left-winger Filip Ahl didn’t play in Friday’s contest after originally being listed as good to go in the lineups handed out to scouts and media.

Adam Brooks left Friday’s game due to injury.

    Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock didn’t have a status update on either player after the game.

    As for the game itself, Paddock was pleased his team battled through momentum swings to come out on top.

    “I thought more so than the regular season that was playoff hockey,” said Paddock. “There were ebbs and flows. There is momentum, and then somebody gets it back or somebody loses it.

    “I think that is just going to happen, because you are not out there by yourselves. The opposition has a say in it.

    “We got good performances from every guy. Guys stepped up and played good.”

    Brooks was actually lost on the Pats first goal. The Winnipeg product took a hit from behind, but managed to spring defenceman Dawson Davidson and left-winger Jonathan Smart into the offensive zone on a break. Smart potted his first goal of the playoffs to give the Pats a 1-0 edge just before the midway point of the first period.

    After getting up from being hit from behind, Brooks immediately skated off to the Pats dressing room.

    The Broncos replied with a pair of power-play goals to go into the first intermission holding a 2-1 lead. Defenceman Max Lajoie scored on a point blast, and star winger Tyler Steenbergen slipped home the go-ahead goal from the side of the Regina net to give the visitors the lead.

Left-winger Tyler Steenbergen gave the Broncos a short-lived lead

    The Pats came out flying in the second, when star offensive defenceman Connor Hobbs blasted home a point shot to even the score at 2-2 just 43 seconds into the frame. At the 6:08 mark of the second, the Pats went ahead 3-2 scoring another power-play goal, but this tally came on a net scramble that ended when right-winger Adam Henry banged home a loose puck in the crease of the Swift Current goal.

    Regina’s lead expanded to 4-2 before the second period ended, when right-winger Austin Wagner potted a tally after receiving the puck on a giveaway by a Broncos defenceman.

    Hobbs said his side never lost confidence despite being down on the scoreboard after the first period.

    “You just look around the room, and you see the determination in the boys’ eyes and it kind of sparks you,” said Hobbs. “I thought we built off a great power play to start the second.

    “Things just went well for us. It was exactly what we wanted to do tonight.”

Connor Hobbs paced the Pats with a goal and an assist.

    Rookie left-winger Robbie Holmes scored 90 seconds into the third period to put the Pats up 5-2. Wagner rounded out the game’s scoring potting his second of the contest into an empty net with 5:15 to play in the frame. The Calgary product took a high stick to the month from Lajoie on the play, but came away unscathed.

    Broncos head coach and general manager Manny Viveiros said the Pats were better team on Friday night.

    “We just weren’t there at the same level as we were (Thursday) night in the second and third period and overtime,” said Viveiros, whose Broncos were playing their ninth playoff game in 15 days. “We made a lot of mistakes today that were uncharacteristic of us during the playoffs so far.

    “We took way too many penalties against Regina. We turned a lot of pucks over also too and gave then a lot of momentum as far as scoring opportunities and goals.

    “Regina just flat out beat us tonight. We weren’t like our normal selves here.”

Star centre Sam Steel (#23) muscles out of the corner for the Pats.

  Jordan Papirny, who made 53 saves for the Broncos in their Game 1 overtime win on Thursday, turned away 34-of-39 shots to take the loss in goal for the Broncos on Friday night.

    Tyler Brown turned away 15 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Pats. Pats star centre Sam Steel picked up a pair of assists on Friday’s win.

    While the Pats are known for scoring in a finesse fashion, Wagner was pumped to get on even terms with the Broncos due to the fact his side piled up greasy tallies.

    “The goals, they weren’t the nicest, but they were in our favour,” said Wagner. “It was a good team win.”

    “He (Papirny) is a good goalie, but there were a lot of rebounds sitting in the slot there. We capitalized on our chances.

    “We know that we can score goals when we need to. Guys that don’t usually score goals scored goals tonight, and that is what you need in playoffs. It was good to see some of those guys scoring.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Blades pull off major road upset of Pats

Jesse Shynkaruk celebrates an OT winner with his Blades teammates.

    REGINA - The stars were supposed to be lined up against the Saskatoon Blades.

    Despite playing one of their best games of the season, the Blades went into overtime locked in a 1-1 tie on Saturday against the host Regina Pats before a sellout crowd of 6,484 spectators at the Brandt Centre. The Pats entered the day tied for the overall lead in the WHL standings and were rated first in the Canadian Hockey League top ten rankings.

    The Blades began the night sitting six points back of a playoff spot.

    With the Pats being loaded with offensive talent, a three-on-three overtime session should have favoured the host side.

    Instead, the Blades got control of the puck on a gritty faceoff win in the extra session, and winger Braylon Shmyr and defenceman Libor Hajek teamed up to send overage centre Jesse Shynkaruk into the Regina zone with speed on an odd man rush. Shynkaruk blew home the winner on a wrist shot 35 seconds into the frame to give a thrilling 2-1 victory for the visitors.

Jesse Shynkaruk breaks into the offensive zone for the Blades.

    “To get the two points tonight felt amazing for the team. We know if we put that effort in each and every night we are going to win a lot of games this year. It was just huge clawing back too.”

    Early on, it seemed like things might not go the Blades way. Just 92 seconds into the contest, Pats left-winger Robbie Holmes netted his first of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

    From there, the Blades found their legs, and the Pats, who were playing their sixth game in eight days, were looking a bit sluggish. Regina entered the first intermission with a 1-0 edge and a 13-12 lead in shots on goal.

    The pesky underdog Blades wouldn’t go away, which caused the home crowd to feel a little bit tense. Shynkaruk almost picked up the equalizer, but he rang the post on a backdoor feed.

Winger Braylon Shmyr drives hard to the net for the Blades.

    The visitors would tie things up at 1-1 with 2:16 to play in the second period, when centre Gage Ramsay slipped home the equalizer through a screen.

    Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock had concerns about how the game was going, especially with the fact his club dumped the Swift Current Broncos 8-1 the previous night at home.

    “Six games in eight days takes a toll not so much physically as mentally,” said Paddock. “I thought our players that played so good last night, which was everybody, tonight they were half a step to a full step behind. It could be for varying reasons.

    “Our high end players did not play smart enough in situations where the game is tight for whatever reason. When the game is different, you just have to do things different. Our good players I thought let us down.”

Blades goalie Logan Flodell blocks a shot into the air.

    Early in the third, the Blades rang a possible go-ahead tally off the post.

    After that chance, the Pats seemed to get more jump after going on a power play with under seven minutes to play in the frame. At times, the Blades were scrambling in their zone, but goaltender Logan Flodell stood his ground. He turned away 39 shots to help his club improve to 12-18-2.

    That set the stage for overtime, where the Blades took the win on the first shift.

    “For us, we didn’t want to go into the shootout,” said Blades head coach Dean Brockman. “They have some pretty dangerous players.

    “We stressed the urgency to try to win it as quickly as possible. Guys responded to it.”

    Tyler Brown turned away 29 shots to take the loss in goal for the Pats, who fell to 21-2-6. The Pats were missing forwards Sam Steel and Austin Wagner, who left for the main training camp for Canada’s world junior team in Boisbriand, Que.

    The Blades were missing a number of key players to injury including standout forwards Cameron Hebig and Mason McCarty along with captain Wyatt Sloboshan.

Blades centre Gage Ramsay circles behind the Regina net.

    “I certainly give our guys a lot of credit for battling through what we had to battle through,” said Brockman. “I thought we had a consistent work ethic.

    “Everybody was up and positive on the bench. You are really happy. When you can beat these guys, you should be happy.”

    The Blades return to action on Sunday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 4 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Pats, who finished playing six games in eight days, return to action Friday, when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass on about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.