PATS GAME DAY: VS COUGARS

Prince George (18-24-7) at Regina (24-20-5)
7 pm, Brandt Centre
620 CKRM
Press Box Sports Bar Pregame Show at 6:35 pm

Head-to-Head
The Regina Pats (24-20-3-2) begin an eight game home-stand by facing off with the Prince George Cougars (18-24-2-5) this evening.  It’s the only time the two teams match up this season with their last meeting coming November 20th, 2012.  The Cougars overcame the Pats with a 4-3 shootout victory.  Lane Scheidl scored twice and Morgan Klimchuk had a goal and an assist in that contest while Brad Morrison scored one of three goals for the Cougars.  Coming into tonight’s game the Pats have dropped two straight and three of their last four after a pair of losses on their Alberta road swing.  The Cougars are just starting out their annual East Division trip and are 4-4-0-2 in their previous ten games.  This evening’s game can be heard on 620 CKRM starting at 6:35 p.m. CST

Ed Staniowski Bobblehead Night
Tonight is the annual Knight Archer Insurance Bobblehead Night.  Fans can get their Ed Staniowski Bobbleheads on the Brandt Centre concourse for a minimum donation to the Soldier On Fund.  Staniowski will be on hand to drop the puck in a ceremonial faceoff this evening.

Lead Up: Lazar Scores Three in 5-2 Oil Kings Win
The Pats got the start they were looking for when Carter Hansen and Morgan Klimchuk put the visitors up 2-0 in the first period.  The two goal edge didn’t make it to the intermission as Curtis Lazar scored on a late powerplay to cut the deficit in half.  Lazar followed his first up with a second in the middle frame, then completed the hat trick in the third.  The Oil Kings cruised from there, taking a 5-2 win over the Blue and White.

Taking on B.C.
The Pats have played three teams from the B.C. Division this season (Vancouver, Kamloops and Kelowna).  Through those games, Regina has yet to lose in regulation with a 1-0-1-1 record.  Overall, the East Division is 9-6-3-1 against the B.C. Division.  Regina is Prince George’s first stop on their Eastern swing and the Cougars have yet to face an East team.

Getting Pucks Toward the Net
As the Pats head towards the 50 game mark tonight, they sit eleventh in the league with 32.8 shots on goal per game (1607 overall).  They’re in the top segment of the league when it comes to the amount of pucks Pats goaltenders face , allowing 32.06 shots per game (1571 overall).


Home Cooking
Tonight’s game is the first of a key seven game home-stand for the Pats who will play 12 of their next 14 at the Brandt Centre.  Over this stretch the Blue and White play 12 games against their own conference, 7 within their division and 6 against teams jockeying with the Pats for playoff positioning.  Through 20 home games this season, the Pats are 11-6-2-1 when playing at the Brandt Centre.

Who to Watch on Prince George
Todd Fiddler had a slow start to the season with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but things picked up quickly when he moved North to join the Cougars.  The Meadow Lake, SK product has 49 points in just 29 games with Prince George putting him 8th in the WHL with 59 points overall.

(Courtesy Daniel Fink/Pats PR)