The Pat Canadians picked up a hard-earned 5-3 victory over the Yorkton Kinsmen Maulers on Wednesday night, overcoming a determined Yorkton squad that refused to go away in front of its home crowd at Westland Insurance Arena.
The Pat Cs carried the play for much of the night, outshooting the Maulers 50-30, but Yorkton goaltender Jaxson Schleper was sharp from the opening faceoff and gave his team every opportunity to stay within striking distance. Schleper turned aside 45 shots and made several key saves early as Regina pushed for the game’s opening goal.
The Pat Canadians opened the scoring late in the first period when Mahlon Wiley finished off a play from Nathan Gardiner and Ryker Doka at 16:56. Yorkton responded less than two minutes later to send the teams into the first intermission tied 1-1.
The second period featured plenty of offense and momentum swings. Yorkton grabbed an early lead before Regina answered with three goals in a span of less than nine minutes. Kelson Hawreluik restored the Canadians’ lead at 13:53 before rookie Rylan Edwards found the back of the net just over a minute later on the power play to make it 4-2.
Both goals marked important milestones. Hawreluik’s tally was the first SMAAAHL goal of his career, while Edwards also recorded his first career SMAAAHL goal.
The story became even more special considering both Wiley and Hawreluik were playing in their hometown. The Yorkton products each scored in front of family and friends, helping lead Regina to the road victory.
Yorkton once again demonstrated its fight, scoring in the final seconds of the second period to cut the deficit to one heading into the third. The Maulers repeatedly answered whenever the Canadians appeared positioned to pull away, keeping the game close right to the final minutes.
Regina finally secured the win when Gardiner scored with just over four minutes remaining in regulation, restoring the two-goal cushion and sealing the 5-3 final.
Between the pipes, Liam Rogers delivered a steady performance, stopping 27 of 30 shots and earning the first SMAAAHL victory of his career. The rookie netminder was calm throughout the evening and came up with several timely saves as Yorkton pressed to draw even.
Doka led the Canadians offensively with three assists, while Gardiner contributed a goal and two assists in the victory.
The win featured several memorable milestones for Regina, including first SMAAAHL goals from Hawreluik and Edwards, a hometown performance from Wiley and Hawreluik, and Rogers’ first career SMAAAHL win as the Pat Canadians returned home with two points from Yorkton.
