PATS BEAT SWIFT, BEDARD MAKES HISTORY

Swift Current, Sask. — The Regina Pats kept their slim playoff hopes alive on Friday night, snagging the win over the Swift Current Broncos by a 4-2 score.

Stealing the show was 16-year-old Kelton Pyne, who made 37 saves on 39 shots to improve to 3-1-1 in his young Western Hockey League career.

“I don’t think we were at our best in the first period. I think it looked like we were playing in quicksand,” Pats assistant coach Brad Herauf said after the game. “Pyne gave us a lot of big saves and held us in the game until we got our feet going in the second period.

Today we weren’t overcome by the momentum shifts in the game. We held the game and acted really maturely in this game when we weren’t at our best.”

As for the bigger picture, history was made in two separate ways by Connor Bedard. The youngster scored twice, his 46th and 47th goals of the season, breaking both the Pats single season record for goals by a 16-year-old (46) and points by a 16-year-old (89). The previous records were held by Jeff Friesen (45 goals in 1992-93) and Doug Wickenheiser (88 points in 1977-78).

“To be a part of and see where Connor is now, I think it’s going to be special,” Herauf said. “I think it’s going to be a long time before someone beats his records.”

Also scoring for the Pats were Logan Nijhoff, who recently signed an American Hockey League deal with the San Diego Gulls, and Borya Valis, who hit the double digit mark with his 10th of the season.

The Broncos got contributions from Cole Nagy and Raphael Pelletier.

The win means that while the Pats remain in 11th-place in the Eastern Conference, they are now just four points back of the 8th-place Broncos. The Pats have three games in hand on them and four games remaining on their schedule. Calgary sits in 9th, three points ahead of Regina, and Prince Albert sits in 10th, two points ahead of the Pats.