WARRIORS 5 PATS 1

Photo courtesy Keith Hershmiller Photography

Regina, Saskatchewan – The Regina Pats dropped the opener of a home-and-home series with the rival Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1 Friday at the Brandt Centre.  Former Pat Dryden Hunt led the way for the Tribe, netting a hattrick in the victory.

Regina’s Sam Steel and Lane Zablocki got the scoring started with a bang when Zablocki burned into the zone before dropping the puck to Steel who snapped a shot to the top corner seven minutes into the game.  It didn’t take long for the Warriors to get back even as Brayden Point spied Dryden Hunt open at the top of the right circle and the former Pat ripped home a one timer at the 11:26 mark.  With time winding down in the first, Warriors defender Tyler Brown fired a shot wide of the Pats goal that came off the back wall, straight to the stick of Jiri Smejkal who popped the puck into a wide open goal for a 2-1 Moose Jaw lead through the first twenty minutes.

Just one goal in the second period and it came 5:16 into frame.  Jayden Halbgewachs fired a wrist shot on Daniel Wapple and Brett Howden was right there to poke the rebound past the Pats’ netminder.  The Pats had a pair of chances from Taylor Cooper who got in behind the defence on both opportunities only to be thwarted by Zach Sawchenko on one and the post on another.  Wapple turned away 19 shots in the frame to keep the Pats within a 3-1 score after two periods.

The third period saw Dryden Hunt extend the Warriors lead.  His second marker of the night came off a great pass from rookie Nikita Popugaev across the ice.  Hunt accepted the pass and put a perfect shot above the shoulder of Wapple and in off the post.  The hat-trick marker wasn’t a pretty one as a Popugaev knocked a shot off the boards behind the net, the puck skittered off the wall to Hunt and he batted the bouncing disc into the Pats net for a 5-1 Warriors final score.

Quick Hits
– Sam Steel is on a three game point streak (2G, 2A)
– Jake Leschyshyn missed Friday night’s game, participating in the World U17 Hockey Challenge.
-Game attendance was 4122.

What’s Next?
The Regina Pats (6-6-1-0) visit the Warriors (8-3-1-1) in a 2:00 p.m. matinee rematch on Saturday. Listen in to the game online with RM2 at sportscage.ca starting at 1:35 p.m.

(Courtesy Daniel Fink/Regina Pats)