SWIFT CURRENT -- No Jordan Eberle? No problem.

J.D. Watt's goal at 7:57 of the first overtime session lifted the Regina Pats to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Swift Current Broncos before 2,659 fans at the Credit Union iplex.

Regina now leads the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal 2-1, reclaiming home-ice advantage in the process. Game 4 goes tonight in Swift Current.

"As a farmboy I was kind of shocked," quipped Watt, grinning from ear to ear. "It's the first time a Clydesdale ever beat a Thoroughbred in a race."

Both sides were hobbled for this game due to injuries and suspensions. The Broncos were forced to go with a patchwork blueline following injuries to two of their top defencemen: Michael Wilson (concussion) and Jesse Dudas (broken wrist). Eberle, Regina's leading scorer, was suspended one game for the hit on Dudas while Brett Leffler got three for his check on Wilson.

In their absence, the teams staged an entertaining back-and-forth contest that could have gone either way.

"All our older guys talked about it and said we had to step up," said Watt. "We all knew we had to prove ourselves that we can (win) without (Eberle) in the lineup. We had lots of different guys step up, four different goal scorers. It was just a great, great feeling."

The Broncos took home-ice advantage to heart as they applied all the initial pressure, aided by a pair of early power plays. Regina managed to weather the first wave -- but it wouldn't last.

Defenceman Eric Doyle opened the scoring with 3:48 left in the first period when Pats goalie Linden Rowat played hot potato with a shot that he appeared to catch but instead juggled it back into the air, only to watch it land behind him.

The ice tilted decisively in favour of the Pats in the second period, but Swift Current netminder Travis Yonkman was brilliant. He stopped Scott Doucet's short-handed breakaway midway through the frame, then took an open net away from Michael MacAngus two minutes later.

Doucet finally found a crack in Yonkman's armour with 4:08 left in the second period with a blast under the crossbar on the power play. The Broncos nearly got it back 1:41 later when a shot from the point squeaked through Rowat's pads and sat on the line before the net was knocked off as players crashed into the crease.

Just 13 seconds later, David Stieler restored the Broncos' one-goal lead on the man advantage with a bank shot in front of Rowat.

Regina caught a break at 8:36 of the third period when Ryan Bender's point shot trickled between Yonkman's pads, allowing Kirt Hill to skate in behind him and tap it home.

The Pats took their first lead of the game 2:06 later when Tim Kraus outwaited Yonkman and went upstairs for a 3-2 lead. Keegan Dansereau tied it up just 1:54 after that, firing a rebound past Rowat.

Regina had a power-play chance in the final three minutes, but Yonkman made big stops on Doucet and Rudolf Cerveny to send it into overtime.

The Pats looked to be out of gas in overtime when Swift Current's Erik Felde took a boarding penalty that gave the visitors new life. Watt capitalized, taking a pass from Colten Teubert and slipping a backhand shot past Yonkman.

"It wasn't a great goal," added Watt, "but we'll take it."

Regina finished with a 46-43 advantage on the shot clock. The Pats went 2-for-9 on the power play. Swift Current was 1-for-7 without the services of its top power-play blueliners.

"It's disappointing but we'll move on," said Broncos defenceman Bretton Stamler. "It could have gone either way. If we don't take penalties we're going to give ourselves a much better chance to win."

EXTRAS: Eberle is eligible to return tonight from his one-game ban. Leffler has one remaining on his three-game suspension ... Swift Current used Felde, a winger, on defence ... Broncos all-time leading scorer Todd Holt (1989-94) was in attendance.

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