FOUR SEASONS SPORTS PALACE PATS PREVIEW: REGINA VS SEATTLE

Keith Hershmiller Photography

The Regina Pats (9-0-3-0) are riding a five game winning streak into Sunday afternoon’s contest with the Seattle Thunderbirds (4-5-0-1). Puck drop from the Brandt Centre is at 4 p.m on 620 CKRM.

The Pats are coming off an 8-5 win in Medicine Hat on Saturday, and are off to their best start to a season since 1984/85.

Seattle kicked off their East Division road trip Friday in Swift Current and won 2-1. The Pats are 1-0-1-0 against U.S. Division opponents so far this year..

Lead Up: Zablocki and Wagner Lead Pats over Tigers
The Pats won their fifth consecutive game last Saturday night in Medicine Hat, 8-5 over the Tigers. Lane Zablocki scored three times and added an assist while Austin Wagner had a goal and three helpers in the victory. The game was tied 2-2 after one period but the Pats scored twice, in the second, and added four more in the third to improve to 9-0-3-0 and remain unbeaten in regulation. Tyler Brown made 35 saves for his fifth win of the year.

Lofty Heights
The Pats 12 games without a regulation loss, to start the season, is second most in franchise history. You have to go back to 1964-65 when the team started 14-0-4 for the club record. Regina played in the SJHL that season, two years before the formation of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League in 1966 (the league’s name was changed to the Western Canadian Hockey League in 1967 and then to the Western Hockey League in 1978). The 64/65 team outscored their opponents 110-46 in those 18 games. This year’s Pats have compiled a 9-0-3-0 record in 12 games and have scored 62 goals to their opponents 36.

Zablocki Lifts Off
Forward Lane Zablocki is playing in his second season in the WHL, and on Saturday recorded his third career hat trick if you include the playoffs. The first three goal game of his career came in Lethbridge on February 24, 2016. That was a part of the Pats 9-8 win in a shootout over the Hurricanes. Then in the 2016 playoffs, Zablocki scored a hattrick in game 4 of the second round against the Red Deer Rebels, a 6-4 Pats win to tie the series 2-2. The 18-year-old from Wetaskiwin, Alberta is up to five goals and ten points through 12 games this year.

Home Cooking
The Pats enter Sunday with a 5-0-3-0 record on home ice, picking up 13 of 16 possible points. The club has scored 38 goals in those eight games for an average of 4.75 per-game. Opponents are averaging 2.8 goals per-game at the Brandt Centre. The Pats are 10 for 41 on the powerplay at home (24.4%) and have killed 37 of 45 penalties (82.2%).  In addition, the Blue and White have scored seven shorthanded goals on home ice. The Pats have not been outshot at home and twice have beaten opponents by five goals, plus two more times they won by three.

Zborovskiy Makes Team Russia
Pats defenceman Sergey Zborovskiy will play with Team Russia at the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series. Zborovskiy joins teammates Sam Steel, Connor Hobbs and Austin Wagner who will play for Team WHL in the series. The WHL portion will take place November 7th and 8th in Prince George and Edmonton.

Upcoming Schedule
Pats Vs Kootenay – Wednesday November 2nd, 7 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM).
Pats Vs Saskatoon – Friday November 4th, 7 p.m. – Brandt Centre (CKRM).
Pats @ Moose Jaw – Thursday November 10th 7 p.m. – Mosaic Place (CKRM).

(Courtesy Phil Andrews)