VIGR RECAP: PATS MOVE ON TO WHL FINAL

@WHLPats

LETHBRIDGE – The Western Hockey League championship is set.

The Regina Pats scored five straight goals to come from behind and defeat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 7-4 on Sunday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final.

The Pats will play the Seattle Thunderbirds for the Ed Chynoweth Cup. Game 1 goes Friday in Regina.

It was terrible start for the Pats, who fell down 3-0 before the first period was even half over.

However the Queen City kids collected themselves and notched a pair of goals – from Robbie Holmes and Josh Mahura – to cut the deficit to 3-2 after 20 minutes.

The Hurricanes went up 4-2 early in the second but from there, their sticks fell silent.

Filip Ahl began the comeback for the Pats when he scored at 15:47 of the second period and Nick Henry tied the game less than two minutes later.

Jeff de Wit and Austin Wagner scored a minute apart midway through the third while Wyatt Sloboshan added an empty netter to complete a three-point outing. Robbie Holmes and Josh Mahura had first-period goals to round out the offence.

Tyler Brown made 24 saves for the win as Stuart Skinner stopped 38-of-44 shots in a losing cause.

Regina went 1 for 3 on the power play while Lethbridge went 3 for 3 with the man advantage.

The Pats, who entered the post-season as the No. 1-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League, set a franchise record for wins in the regular season. Their last WHL championship came back in 1980.

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WEST FINAL

KELOWNA – Austin Strand scored the first of three straight goals in the second period as Seattle downed the Rockets 3-1 in Game 6 of the Western Conference final.

Alexander True and Mathew Barzal also found the back of the net for the Thunderbirds, who got a 17-save outing from Carl Stankowski.

Nolan Foote was the lone scorer for Kelowna. Michael Herringer stopped 19-of-22 shots in a losing cause.

Seattle’s Keegan Kolesar was ejected late in the first period after receiving a major for checking from behind.

(Canadian Press)