Blades end weekend with 5-2 win over Regina

While the Regina Pats and Saskatoon Blades both endured three games in three days, it was the Bridge City team who ended the weekend with a win.

“I think both teams were pretty tired,” said Saskatoon head coach Brennan Sonne. “I don’t think that’s the typical game between those two teams. In general, I liked our game.”

The Blades, who were playing their fourth WHL game in the past five days, had the extra gas in the tank and used a good third period to earn the 5-2 victory at the Brandt Centre.

The game was tied 2-2 heading into the final frame, but Saskatoon pulled away in the final frame with Regina only mustering seven shots in the period — four of which came within the final five minutes.

“It’s very disappointing,” Pats head coach John Paddock said. “We got out-hockeyed by Saskatoon. They don’t make many mistakes and they were just clearly the better team.”

Pats captain Connor Bedard, who was held off the scoresheet for only the third time this season, agreed with the assessment by his coach.

“We didn’t play great and there’s not really the excuse of a three-in-three because they are on that as well,” said Bedard, who had a 10-game point-scoring streak snapped.

The Pats struck first in the Sunday afternoon contest, with Stanislav Svozil getting around a Blades defender with a good move and then finding Alexander Suzdalev, who put a shot past Saskatoon goalie Austin Elliot.

Saskatoon’s Trevor Wong scored his first of two second-period goals just over eight minutes into the frame.

Regina product Sam Oremba was also the beneficiary of a Svozil pass, notching his ninth goal of the season.

Wong answered the Oremba goal with one of his own just 1:22 later.

In the third, Bedard nearly had his 60th goal of the season, but his shot hit the post and led to a Saskatoon fast-break with Egor Sidorov scoring off a Wong pass.

Sidorov added another late in the period and Wong completed his hat trick to complete the scoring.

“Trevor is responsible and a leader and a hell of a kid and an unbelievably good human,” Sonne said. “When the going gets tough, it’s guys like Trevor who get going because he’s tough.”

Saskatoon (42-13-4-1) is now enjoying a five-game win streak and hasn’t lost in regulation time since Feb. 10.

“We were eliminated last year in five games (by Moose Jaw) as a young team and the minute we were eliminated, we were hungry to get back to playoffs,” Sonne said. “We learned lessons in that series. We are older now and for us, right now, it’s all about ramping up for playoffs.”

Regina (31-25-2-1) had a six-game win streak end Sunday, but it included a 5-3 win Friday over the WHL-leading Winnipeg Ice and a 6-5 overtime victory over the second-place Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.

“You get four out of six points against three of the top teams in the conference. It was a pretty good weekend. You don’t focus on the last two games, you focus on the loss we just had,” Bedard said. “But overall, it was pretty good.”

Saskatoon is to host the Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday, with Regina hosting the Edmonton Oil Kings that same day.