Pats down Tigers in pivotal playoff race showdown

The Regina Pats earned their first win of the 2022-23 season over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday — and it came in the midst of a crucial race to the WHL playoffs.

Regina earned an important two points over the Tigers, posting a 6-3 decision at the Brandt Centre.

“It was a huge game,” said Pats forward Tanner Howe, who had four points in the contest. “(It) just speaks to how close (the standings are). It was a huge game with them being with us.”

The Pats and Tigers came into the game tied at 55 points apiece in the standings, with Regina in sixth and Medicine Hat in eighth in the Eastern Conference. The seventh-place Calgary Hitmen also had 55 points.

Hot on their heels are the Swift Current Broncos, with 54 points.

The emotions reached a peak late in the third period with big hits and words being shared between the two clubs.

It boiled over when Regina’s Luke Bateman and Medicine Hat’s Rhett Parsons dropped the gloves for a fight.

“There was certainly lots of intensity in the game. It’s strange to me — I don’t know if Bates or Parsons had words or something earlier but Luke doesn’t get into probably one fight a year,” Pats head coach John Paddock said. “I don’t know why it happened but I think it was pretty entertaining for the people.”

Paddock said all the teams locked in the playoff race know opportunities are running out to clinch a spot.

“I think there’s extra intensity as the playoff race is more visible at the end of the season,” he said.

Pats captain Connor Bedard, who leads the WHL in points, added six more to his total — one goal and five assists. That ties a single-game high in the WHL for the projected top pick in the NHL entry draft.

“We know the value of every game,” Bedard said. “Every game is so huge and every point is so massive. We’re looking at that and we’re pretty fired up going into each game.”

The Pats struck first in the showdown, with Bedard finding the stick of Howe at the side of the net on a five-on-three power play for an easy tap-in.

The Tigers were able to answer back in the first period with Hunter St. Martin beating Drew Sim on a breakaway.

Some great puck control by Bedard helped him get past three Medicine Hat defenders before finding Sam Oremba at the side of the net. Oremba’s initial shot was stopped but he put his own rebound in the back of the net.

In the second frame, Zack Stringer managed to shake off a check along the boards and find Bedard in front of the net, who got a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it wrist shot off and into the back of the net past Evan May.

Regina struck quickly in the final period, with Howe scoring his second of the night just seven seconds after puck drop.

“I think we’ve tried (that play) the last four straight games and it hasn’t worked yet so it was good to see,” Howe said.

Stringer and Tye Spencer each added a goal in the period.

Oasiz Weisblatt and Bogdan Hodass scored for the Tigers in the third period.

Bedard said the team can take away some confidence from the win against a team that’s also battling to hold onto a playoff spot.

“It was a tight-checking game and we needed to beat them (Wednesday) and we did,” Bedard said. “Just the realization of us being able to do that and a lot of physical play — us knowing we can be in those games and that gives us confidence going into the weekend for sure.”

Regina is to be in Brandon to take on the Wheat Kings on Friday.