COORS LIGHT RECAP: GOING TO GAME 7

Keith Hershmiller Photography

REGINA – The Regina Pats-Swift Current Broncos first round WHL Playoff series is going to a Game 7.

Saturday night before a sixth-straight sellout crowd of 6484 in the Brandt Centre, the Pats routed the Broncos 7-2 to avoid elimination and force a deciding game.

A tentative first period went scoreless for almost 15 minutes before Regina’s Robbie Holmes and Cameron Hebig potted back-to-back goals just 1:06 apart and the Pats led 2-0 at the break.

Hebig scored again just 55 seconds into the middle frame and Jake Leschyshyn made it 4-0 Pats at the 9:22 mark. The Broncos got on the board with a powerplay goal from Georgio Estephan five minutes later but Regina’s Nick Henry scored his 3rd of the series late in the period and the Pats took a 5-1 lead into the third.

At that point, Broncos’ starting goalie Stuart Skinner was lifted in favour of Joel Hofer. Skinner stopped 19 of 24 shots.

Regina’s Sam Steel and Matt Bradley each scored their first of the series in the final chapter and the Broncos’ Max Patterson scored a late powerplay goal to make it a 7-2 final.

The Pats wound up outshooting the Broncos 33-27 while going 0/6 on the powerplay and 3/5 killing penalties.

Ryan Kubic made 25 saves to collect the victory in the Pats goal. Regina was missing veterans Libor Hajek and Jessie Gabrielle due to injury.

Game 7 goes Monday night at the Credit Union I-Plex in Swift Current in a 7:00 pm start on 620 CKRM and Access 7.

RP
@rodpedersen