Pats erase four-goal deficit in dramatic shootout win over Ice
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The Kootenay Ice received a cruel parting gift from the Regina Pats on Wednesday night.
In their final visit to Regina before relocating to Winnipeg in the off-season, the Ice jumped out to a 4-0 lead but watched the home team storm back with five unanswered goals en route to an improbable 5-4 shootout victory.
“The thing with our team is we never quit,” said Pats goalie Dean McNabb, who was named the first star in a relief effort. “We had a tough go (in the first half of the game). We weren’t playing very well. We definitely shifted the momentum and rallied as a team. It’s a huge step forward for our group.”
And a nice reward during a difficult season.
“A comeback like that is pretty impressive,” said veteran defenceman Liam Schioler, who had two assists. “We knew we were capable of doing it. It shows the character we have on our team.”
Regina was down 4-0 when McNabb replaced Max Paddock midway through the contest. The home team made it 4-1 after 40 minutes and added three more goals in the third before finishing it off in the shootout.
“We made lots of mistakes early and dug ourselves a real big hole,” said Pats head coach Dave Struch, whose team (17-38-1-2) handed Kootenay (11-37-7-2) its sixth consecutive loss before 4,821 fans at the Brandt Centre.
“Max struggled a little bit tonight. Dean came in and gave us an opportunity to get out of that second period. In the third period our work ethic took over. You can use every word in the book: relentless, resiliency, determined, character, pride. The first 40 we didn’t have a lot of that. It was a great comeback. As much as you don’t want to say they deserved it for (waiting until the final) 20 minutes … I think they deserved it.”
Kootenay’s Jakin Smallwood opened the scoring 3:45 into the contest, knocking in a rebound from the top of the crease. Jaeger White gave his team a 2-0 lead with 2:03 left in the first when he worked his way to the bottom of the right circle and fired from a bad angle, banking it off the pads of Paddock and in.
Kootenay made it a three-goal lead just 5:47 into the second as former Pats prospect Cole Muir slipped a breakaway pass up to Connor McClennon, who tucked a backhand between the pads of Paddock.
Bradley Ginnell made it 4-0 with 7:22 left in the second, burying a shot from the left face-off dot. That was all for Paddock, who was replaced after allowing four goals on 22 shots.
Regina got on the board 2:52 later when Brady Pouteau stepped into a one-timer from the point, beating netminder Jesse Makaj. Brett Clayton narrowed the deficit to 4-2 at the 11:31 mark of the third, knocking in a loose puck from the slot.
Just 1:51 later, Carter Massier made it a one-goal game when he grabbed the puck behind Kootenay’s net and tried to throw it in front. His pass hit a defender before it went off Makaj and in.
Kootenay was awarded a two-man advantage in the last five minutes of regulation but the visitors failed to score an insurance goal. Just before the second penalty expired, Makaj came out to play the puck but gave it away behind his net to Logan Nijhoff, who banked the tying goal off Kootenay’s netminder with 3:01 left.
At the other end, McNabb extended the game with a number of highlight-reel saves. The best of the bunch was a brilliant glove stop on McClennon from the doorstep with two minutes left in OT.
“I got lucky,” McNabb said with a smile. “It hit my glove so I’ll take it.”
The game was finally settled in the fifth round of the shootout when Garrett Wright scored the eventual winner. McNabb added the finishing touch when he stopped Chase Hartje.
Kootenay outshot the Pats 35-25, including 4-0 in overtime. McNabb stopped all 13 shots he faced before turning aside four of five shootout attempts.
“We played great as soon as I went in,” said McNabb. “We got a big goal from (Pouteau), which I thought was a huge momentum shift. Our team played great in front of me. I had to make a couple of big saves but you have to expect that from your goaltender. You need that to win games.”
EXTRAS: Pats athletic therapist Greg Mayer, who worked his 1,500th career game earlier this season, was presented with the WHL Milestone Award by league vice-president Richard Doerksen … The Pats are back in action Friday at the Brandt Centre against the Calgary Hitmen.
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