Rent reduced for riders, early budget items approved by Regina Council
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Regina's city council covered a lot of ground in a three-hour meeting on Wednesday. With all members in attendance, coun...
For the second straight game, the third period spelled doom for the Regina Pats.
The Pats went into the third period tied at two but ultimately fell 5-2 to the Winnipeg ICE on Sunday in a WHL showdown. It was a story similar to Friday night’s, where Regina lost 5-2 to the Prince Albert Raiders.
“We just don’t know what’s going on with the third period, it seems like we don’t have the same energy on the bench,” Pats captain Austin Pratt said following the loss. “It’s one of those things where the team’s got to figure it out and once we do it will be good.”
Penalties helped the ICE get out to an early lead, with defenceman Carson Lambos scoring his first of two goals 12 minutes into the opening frame. The goal was assisted by right-winger Connor McClennon and left-winger Owen Pederson. The puck got by Regina goaltender Danton Belluk, who started his second career WHL game in the meeting. Belluk started on Friday against the Raiders with goaltender Max Paddock being scratched.
“I think that (Belluk) would like to have a couple back tonight but that’s not just on him,” head coach Dave Struch said. “For us, I felt like we played a real good game in our zone as well.”
On the other end, Winnipeg had their own goalie getting his first taste of WHL action. ICE goaltender Will Gurski made his first career start. The Pats, who came into the game 1-for-5 on the power play, put one past Gurski with Regina left-winger Robbie Holmes tipping a shot from Pratt into the net at the 17:49 mark. Defenceman Kyle Walker also got a helper on the goal.
The point gave Pratt a point in a fourth straight game to begin the season.
“I’m happy to be chipping in offensively but at the same time we need some secondary scoring to,” Pratt said. “That’s going to be a big thing going forward – trying to get guys on the score sheet that need to be.”
Michael Teply scored with 1:16 left in the first period to once again give Winnipeg the lead.
Pratt would push a puck past Gurski after it bounced off the end-boards and onto the Pats’ captain’s stick on the power play at the 18:29 mark of the second.
But once the third period began, so did the woes.
Lambos (2:07), former Pat centre Cole Muir (6:09) and defenceman Isaac Johnson (11:49) all scored in the final frame to propel the ICE to their second win during their three games in three days stretch.
“We did a lot of real good things the way that we want to play and the way that we’re going to ave to win,” Struch said when asked if he felt the team made things difficult for Gurski. “The way we’re going to have to win on top of all that is to have every single guy have almost a perfect game and that’s where we’re at. That’s just the way it is.
“Now it’s up to the players in there to accept it or not, to do a little bit more, a little bit extra (and) prepare a little bit more as an individual.”
The Pats (1-3) have a meeting with the Medicine Hat Tigers on Oct. 4 next on their calendar.