The Regina Pat Canadians couldn’t overcome a difficult opening 20 minutes Wednesday night, falling 8-5 to the Saskatoon Blazers.
The Blazers struck just 1:23 into the game when Danel Ramazanov capitalized on a defensive breakdown and walked in alone to open the scoring. Saskatoon continued to apply pressure and had built a 3-0 lead just over 10 minutes into the period.
Brodie Bowen got the Pat Canadians on the board at 11:53, with assists going to Brady Vipond and Riley Rubidge, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
However, a pair of late Saskatoon power-play goals turned an already difficult start into a major hole. The Blazers took a 5-1 lead into the first intermission after outshooting Regina 16-12.
Saskatoon added its third consecutive power-play goal just 1:13 into the second to make it 6-1.
To their credit, the Pat Canadians didn’t go away.
Bowen scored his second of the night less than two minutes later, with Carter Bleau picking up the assist. Jack Frisky then scored at 12:14 before Rylan Edwards converted on the power play late in the period, sending Regina into the second intermission trailing 7-3.
The Cs continued to push in the third. Edwards scored his second of the game at 3:50, assisted by Rhett Amberson and Nathan Gardiner, to pull Regina within three.
Regina generated plenty of pressure as the game went on, outshooting Saskatoon 16-5 in the third period and 40-30 overall. Jagger Korol scored with 4:52 remaining to make it 7-5, but that was as close as the Pat Canadians would get. Carter Wiggins added an empty-net goal for the Blazers with 1:25 remaining to close out the 8-5 final.
The difference ultimately came down to the start and special teams. Saskatoon went 3-for-7 on the power play, while Regina finished 1-for-8. After falling behind 5-1 in the opening period, the Pat Canadians outscored the Blazers 4-3 over the final 40 minutes, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
The Pat Canadians will look to bounce back this weekend when they travel to Prince Albert for a weekend series against the Mintos.
Scoring Summary – Regina
Brodie Bowen (2)
Rylan Edwards (2)
Jagger Korol
Final: Saskatoon 8, Regina 5
Shots: Regina 40, Saskatoon 30
Power Play: Regina 1/8, Saskatoon 3/7
