Saskatoon Blades nearly complete comeback, lose 3-2 to Regina Pats

The Regina Pats kept their WHL playoff hopes alive with a 3-2 win over a Saskatoon Blades team battling injuries at the Brandt Centre on Wednesday.

“This was a big win. I think the bigger thing for our group is to be rewarded for their effort,” Pats interim head coach Brad Herauf said. “I think we’ve had a real great effort in a lot of these games here lately but we just haven’t had the results.”

But while the Blades didn’t find the back of the net until the last half of the final period, sustained pressure in the third nearly saw them complete the comeback in front of the 3,713 fans in attendance.

“It was nice with 10 minutes left we got some life on the bench. We’ve got to do that the whole time,” Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said. “Early on it was just kind of turnovers and early on, not a lot of energy on the bench.

With the sustained pressure, which resulted in two Blades goals, the Pats had to defend a barrage of shots – mostly with their bodies.

“I think that’s one of the things that we have been missing down the stretch there, which is those extra shot blocks, those body sacrifices and that’s what I talk about when you talk about learning to win,” Herauf said. “When you’re cheering with your teammates, you don’t think about (the bruises) until you put the ice bag on.”

The win came at a time as the Pats try to make a surge for the final spot in the WHL Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pats are five points behind the eighth-place Lethbridge Hurricanes and six behind the seventh-place Swift Current Broncos. While the Pats have only played one fewer game than Lethbridge, they have four games in hand on the Broncos.

“Every game is like a Game 7 for us now,” said Pats forward Connor Bedard, who had an assist in the win. “Especially for the 20-year-olds … we really want to do it for them.”

While the Blades have already clinched a playoff spot, they are looking to overcome a slew of injuries and build momentum into the playoffs. The Blades have lost four of their last five games.

Earlier in the day, it was announced captain and defenceman Aidan De La Gorgendiere will undergo season-ending surgery. Saskatoon also didn’t have blueliner Rhett Rhinehart as well as forwards Jayden Wiens, Trevor Wong and Noah Boyko in the lineup either.

“It’s adversity,” said Saskatoon centre Tristen Robins, who has been named captain for the remainder of the season. “We will step up to the challenge. We’ve got a young group in there and I’m sure everyone is going to step up and play a big role because we’re going to need them to.”

The Pats’ first goal came in the first period when Pats captain Logan Nijhoff found forward Borya Valis in front of the net to beat Blades goaltender Nolan Maier for his ninth goal of the season.

In the second period, Bedard showed a lot of patience, holding back on his shot before finding forward Logan Linklater for the second goal of the game. It was Linklater’s first goal of the season and the second of his WHL career.

Just over a minute and a half into the third, Pats defenceman Ryker Evans’ shot found its way to the back of the net while on the power play.

Saskatoon found some life later in the third period, with winger Kyle Crnkovic staying strong on the puck and pushing a backhand past Pats goaltender Drew Sim.

With the extra man out and an empty net, the Blades came out firing, looking for two more goals. While the Pats managed to get in front of most of them, a shot from Robins was deflected by forward Egor Sidorov for the Blades’ second goal of the night.

The rivalry between the two Saskatchewan clubs was on full display at the end of the game, with Nijhoff corralling a puck behind the Blades empty net, which led to two Blades battling him for the puck.

During that battle, Blades forward Brandon Lisowsky was given a high-sticking penalty which led to a scrum between the two clubs. Nijhoff ended up on top of a Blades player following the exchange while Evans and Sidorov dropped the gloves and fought with just seconds left on the clock.

The Pats (24-31-3-2) are next in action Friday against the Winnipeg Ice — the top team in the WHL — at the Brandt Centre.

The Blades (34-24-3-1) will look to get back into the win column at home against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday.