Quick start propels Blades to 6-2 win over Pats

A hockey game can change rather quickly — just ask the Regina Pats.

After 10 minutes of slow-paced hockey, it was the Saskatoon Blades scoring two quick goals on the Pats en route to a 6-2 win Friday at Sasktel Centre.

“I really liked our shifts after goals tonight,” Blades head coach Mitch Love said following the game. “Whether it was them or us, we just stayed the course.”

The two-goal cushion was more than the Pats could overcome on this night.

First it was Max Gerlach tapping in a rebound in front of the Pats net after Dawson Davidson sent a shot from the blue line just ahead of the 10-minute mark of the first period.

The second goal came 20 seconds later as the public address was still reading the score sheet. Newly acquired Ryan Hughes, playing in his third game since coming over from the Portland Winterhawks, skated in on a clear breakaway and fired a shot over the blocker of Pats goaltender Dean McNabb.

Kirby Dach would put Saskatoon up 3-0 on a dazzling team goal. Emil Malysjev would set up the goal as he skated a circle around the whole Pats end before sending a pass at a streaking Kirby Dach who one-timed the opportunity into the gaping net.

Dawson Davidson registered an assist on the opening three goals and always enjoys performances like that against his old team.

“Whenever you play a team that traded you, you have a little bit of extra jump,” Davidson, traded last season during the Pats Memorial Cup run, said following the game.

“It’s not like I had a great time in that organization, there’s no love lost, but at the same time I’m trying to make my own way.”

The second period was the Pats chance at quick scores.

Regina would join the score sheet on it’s 10th shot of the game when 16-year-old Cole Dubinsky deflected a Riley Krane shot as he skated in front of the Blades goal with just under six minutes left in the second period.

The Pats would add another before the end of the second period as Austin Pratt skated to near the goal line before beating Blades goaltender Nolan Maier with a shot from a sharp angle to slash the Blades lead to one goal at the second intermission.

“Regina’s played us hard all year,” Love said of the Blades provincial rivals. “You stress as a coach to play the right way and I thought through 40 minutes tonight we did that and we’re going to need to bounce back tomorrow to do the same.”

With Krane in the penalty box to start the third period, Saskatoon’s power play would go to work with Riley McKay deflecting a Brandon Schuldhaus shot for his career-best eighth goal of the season and a Blades 4-2 lead.

Chase Wouters would add another as a Blades power play was expiring a few minutes later before Cyle McNabb scored his first in Blades colours to end the game at 6-2.

The Blades (27-3-6-0) and Pats will travel to Regina (12-32-1-1) on Saturday to end the home-and-home series.