Pats, Blades lock horns as playoff series begins

The rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina is about to heat up on the ice.

As the WHL playoffs begin Friday, a first-round matchup finds the third-seeded Saskatoon Blades taking on the sixth-seeded Regina Pats.

“I think everyone in that room is super-excited. We have all been waiting for this moment,” said Blades captain Aidan De La Gorgendiere.

While the Blades will enjoy home ice advantage, the Pats will look to become the latest underdog to go on a run, a feeling reflected in their new team motto: Against all odds.

“It’s win or go home,” Regina goaltender Drew Sim said. “That motto is just going to (show) how we want to play and how we are going to play.

“Being a six seed, you’re considered an underdog, but we don’t think there are many teams we can’t beat.”

During the regular season, the Blades won 41 games and tallied 101 points – one of the best seasons in Saskatoon’s history.

De La Gorgendiere said he’s excited about this series due to the fact the last time he played in the playoffs was back in 2019 as a 16-year-old.

The 2019-20 WHL post-season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020-21 season saw a bubble atmosphere for the year with no playoffs. In 2021-22, he was injured for the Blades’ playoff run.

“My role has changed quite a bit from that team to this team. I think this is my last kick at the can here, so I’m really excited,”  De La Gorgendiere said. “My goal all along was to win a championship with this team.”

Meanwhile, Regina battled all season to reach 34 wins and its first post-season appearance since 2018.

“I think there will be a lot of people excited to come out and watch playoff hockey again,” Sim said.

The Pats and Blades met six times in the regular season, with Saskatoon winning four of the contests.

Three of those six games took place in March, with two games in Saskatoon during the final week of the WHL season.
Regina won 4-2 on March 19, but Saskatoon answered back with a 3-2 win on March 24.

During those two games, around 15,000 fans came out to watch the two teams and catch Pats captain Connor Bedard in action.

“I think those two games were a good test run for us. I have a feeling this weekend will be pretty electric at SaskTel (Centre),” De La Gorgendiere said. “To have our fans there cheering us on, I think us, as players, take a lot from that.”

Bedard, who led the WHL in points (143), assists (72) and goals (71), is expected to have a big impact on the series.

“I’m super-pumped. Obviously, last year was pretty upsetting not being able to get in – we were so close,” Bedard said earlier in the week.

Game 1 on Friday and Game 2 of the series on Sunday are in Saskatoon. Games 3 (Tuesday) and 4 (Wednesday) will be played in Regina.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Steve Seto