Source: Regina Pats, March 16, 2016
Regina, Saskatchewan – Colby Williams made his return to the lineup as the Regina Pats (35-27-3-5) hosted the Saskatoon Blades (25-41-4-0) for the final time this season. The Pats outshot the Blades 49-20 en route to a 5-3 win.
Scoring Summary
First Period
No Scoring
Second Period
Saskatoon – Mason McCarty (17) from Christensen and Draude – 2:30
Saskatoon – Wyatt Sloboshan (17) from Hebig and Gay – 2:49 (PP)
Regina – Luc Smith (4) from Williams and Steel – 14:45
Regina – Adam Brooks (38) from Harrison and Zborovskiy – 16:07
Saskatoon – Ryan Graham (22) from Shmyr – 16:35
Third Period
Regina – Rykr Cole (12) from Leschyshyn and Berg – 9:03
Regina – Jake Leschyshyn (7) from Berg and Cole – 12:18
Regina – Austin Wagner (27) from Zablocki – 16:12
Shots on Goal
Regina – 21-18-10-(49) Saskatoon – 1-11-8-(20)
Powerplay
Regina – 0/4 Saskatoon – 1/4
Game Story
Saskatoon goaltender Brock Hamm was the story early on as the Pats dominated in the first period. The Blades tender made 21 saves in the frame as the Pats controlled the play from start to finish. The Pats were just as dominant at the other end, only allowing one shot on Tyler Brown. Despite the one-sided period, the teams went to the break scoreless.
When the game’s first goal came, it wasn’t the team fans at the Brandt Centre expected. On just their third shot of the game, the Blades struck first when Mason McCarty snapped a shot by Tyler Brown. A melee ensued with every skater on the ice being sent to the penalty box. With the follow-up powerplay, Saskatoon got on the board again when Wyatt Sloboshan fired a rebound to the back of the net. It took until the Pats’ 34th shot to break through when Colby Williams one-timed a pass from Sam Steel straight to the tape of Luc Smith who tapped in Regina’s first goal. Just under two minutes later, Adam Brooks fought off a check and blistered a sharp angle shot just under the bar to tie the game 2-2. Just 18 seconds later, off a Pats giveaway, Ryan Graham broke in alone and tucked the puck in to leave Saskatoon ahead 3-2 heading to the third period.
The Pats continued to press into the third period and the third line provided a spark. Nine minutes into the period, Rykr Cole slipped off the boards and wired a shot by Hamm to even the game 3-3. On their next shift, Adam Berg’s shot off the wing rebounded to Jake Leschyshyn who chipped the puck over Hamm to put the Pats in front. Austin Wagner supplied insurance when he knocked Lane Zablocki’s two-on-one setup feed into the goal for the 5-3 advantage.