Pats Pick up First Win of the 2022-23 Season with 6-3 Win over Warriors
September 25, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Regina Pats News Release
Moose Jaw, Sask. – The Regina Pats came back from a 3-1 one deficit with five unanswered goals as they defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3, for their first win of the season, taking the second game of the home-and-home on Saturday Moose Jaw Events Centre.
Connor Bedard led the charge for the Pats with a hat-trick and an assist in the contest. Borya Valis, Parker Berge, and Easton Armstrong added singles for Regina. Valis and Berge also added assists to give them each a multi-point game. Drew Sim was solid in the Pats net, stopping 34 shots in the win.
Brayden Yager led the Warriors with a goal and two assists in the loss. Nathan Pilling and Atley Calvery also scored for the Warriors. Jackson Unger stopped 33 shots for Moose Jaw.
THE GOALS
First Period
MJ 0-1 at 4:57 – Nathan Pilling (1), assisted by Brayden Yager and Marek Howell (PP) // Pilling received the puck along the left boards and with speed skated in on the left wing and fired a wrist shot over Drew Sim’s right shoulder to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead on the man advantage.
MJ 0-2 at 11:26 – Atley Calvert (2), assisted by Riley Niven and Brayden Yager // Sim was down in his crease trying to corral the loose puck to cover it but was unable to reach it and after a couple of different Warriors had shot attempts, Calvert was able to convert with a shot past a sprawled out Pats’ keeper.
REG 1-2 at 11:49 – Borya Valis (2), assisted by Connor Bedard // The Pats won the battle for the puck along the right boards in the Warriors zone and Bedard grabbed the puck and hit Valis in the Warrior slot as he fired a shot past Jackson Unger to get the Pats to within a goal at 2-1.
Second Period
MJ 1-3 at 1:14 – Brayden Yager (1), unassisted (SH) // An errant pass ended up on Yager’s stick who carried the puck from the Warrior blueline with speed into the Pat zone one-on-one with the defender and ripped a high shot far side over Sim’s blocker to restore the Warriors two-goal lead.
REG 2-3 at 9:57 – Parker Berge (1), assisted by Borya Valis and Corbin Vaughan // From deep in the Warrior zone, Valis fed a nice pass to the point where Berge fired a wrist shot through traffic for his first of the season to pull the Pats to within one.
REG 3-3 at 14:13 – Connor Bedard (1), unassisted // As a Pats penalty was expiring, Bedard stole the puck in the neutral zone and with speed on a one-on-one, he then fired his patented wrist shot past Unger for his first of the season to tie the game up at 3-3.
REG 4-3 at 17:49 – Connor Bedard (2), assisted by Layton Feist (SH) // With the Pats killing another penalty late in the second period, Regina caused a turnover and Bedard found himself all alone in the Warrior zone, as he made no mistake, lifting home a short-handed marker far side past Unger’s blocker giving the Pats a 4-3 lead.
Third Period
REG 5-3 at 5:56 – Easton Armstrong (1), assisted by Cole Dubinsky // Dubinsky’s original shot was stopped by Unger but the puck popped up in front of the Warrior net and as it was coming down, Armstrong batted the puck in past the Warriors goalie. After a short video review, it was declared a good goal and that gave the Pats a 5-3 lead.
REG 6-3 at 5:56 – Connor Bedard (3), assisted by Luke Bateman // With the Warriors net empty, the Pats won the faceoff in their own zone which ended up on the stick of their captain, as Bedard carried the puck through the neutral zone and fired a shot from near centre ice into the empty net to seal the win at 6-3.
STATISTICS
SOG: REG – 12-14-13-39 | MJ – 17-8-12-37
PP: REG – 0/1 | MJ – 1/5
Face-Offs: REG – 36 | MJ – 28
GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Drew Sim (37 shots/34 saves)
Moose Jaw: Jackson Unger (38 shots/33 saves)
3 STARS
First: Bedard (3G-1A) – Pats
Second: Yager (1G-2A) – Warriors
Third: Pilling (1G) – Warriors
NOTES
Valis has started the season with a two-game goal-scoring streak.
Bedard picked up his first point as Pats captain with an assist on Valis’s first period marker. He then added a hat-trick for four points.
Corbin Vaughan picked up an assist on the Pats’ second goal, giving him two points in just four career games on the blue line.
Easton Armstrong increased his point streak to four games (2G-3A) dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
The Pats now travel to Alberta for a mini three-game stretch beginning on Thursday, September 29 in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. The Queen City Kids then travel to Red Deer to face the Rebels on Saturday, October 1 before closing out their Alberta excursion on Sunday, October 2 in Calgary as they play the Hitmen in an afternoon contest. The Pats’ next home action is Friday, October 7 at 7:00 PM when they host the Winnipeg ICE at the Brandt Centre. You can purchase your tickets here.
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