Pats 1 - Ice 4
Game Recap
First Period
An early penalty kill gave the Pats momentum out of the gate and control of the play in the first period. They outshot the Ice 8-4 in the first, but Mackenzie Skapski came up large in the Kootenay net. Most notably, Skapski came up with a stunning glove save after Morgan Klimchuk seemed to put him down and out with a great backhand move. Despite running most of the period and putting up strong possession numbers, the Pats found themselves down 1-0 after the opening 20. Erik Benoit wrapped around on Teagan Sacher, and after a few whacks, slid the puck into the cage to put his team up one.
Second Period
The Pats didn’t show as strongly in the second frame as they were bogged down by penalties. In all, four penalties were called against Regina, but it was a pair called on the same play that burned the Pats. Both Trent Ouellette and Kyle Burroughs were in the box for a five-on-three kill that the Pats almost got through. With just 11 seconds remaining in the kill, Brock Montgomery made a fantastic move in front of Sacher and picked the top of the net to extend the Ice lead to two through two.
Third Period
The Pats came out looking ready to make another comeback, controlling the play in the final period. The problem was, the Ice clogged up the middle of the ice and blocked most of the shots heading towards Skapski. When they did get through, Skapski was there with some excellent saves. The Ice put the game out of reach late when they picked up two goals including Sam Reinhart’s first of the season. Trent Ouellette would spoil the shutout when he poked home a puck lying around in the crease for his third of the season. The final score on tonight’s game 4-1 Kootenay.
The Pats may have deserved a better fate on the evening as they played one of their strongest games of the season, but couldn’t beat the hot goaltender.
Where the Pats didn’t do themselves any favours was the penalty department. The Pats were forced to kill seven penalties, some of them undisciplined.
Next Game: @ Medicine Hat – Saturday, September 29th – 7:30 (CKRM.com)
Next Home Game: vs. Moose Jaw – Wednesday, October 3rd – 7 p.m. (CKRM)
