By Greg Harder - Leader Post

When Chandler Stephenson was held without a goal in the Regina Pats' first six games this season, head coach Pat Conacher insisted it was just a matter of time.

He was right. The first domino fell on Oct. 5 against the Red Deer Rebels when Stephenson scored the winning goal with 15 seconds left. That started a chain reaction which has netted Stephenson four goals over the past five games, making the aforementioned slump a distant memory.

"We had a talk and (Con-acher) told me he's not going to ask me to score 50 goals; he's not asking anybody to do that," Stephenson said Saturday after scoring once in Regina's 4-3 comeback win over the Everett Silvertips.

"He just wants guys to work hard. Ever since he has been here from Day 1 he has been (preaching) that message and the guys have been buying in."

There was also a tendency to believe Conacher when he stated - without a hint of hesitation - that there was no reason to worry about Stephenson, who was still playing well and contributing to the team, notching five assists in the first six games.

It was a simple matter of staying on task, performing his duties at both ends of the ice and doing "the little things" that produce goals.

"It's my job to keep reminding him to keep going to the hard areas and it's his duty to do that," noted Con-acher. "When he does that he has success. Why change it? That's why he's getting rewarded (now)."

Stephenson echoed the sentiments of his head coach, noting that the sudden change of fortune has indeed been a matter of focusing on the basics.

"I've just been going to the net with my stick on the ice," he said. "The goals I've been getting have been kind of sitting there. I could have a few more but I just have to bear down.

"I'm trying to be a bit more of a shooter, take pucks to the net. There's times where you're not getting the bounces and you get a little frustrated but you just have to do the little things and goals will come. That's what I've been doing."

Stephenson has also taken Conacher's lead in downplaying his role as the Pats' new No. 1 centre, replacing the incomparable Jordan Weal.

Although no one expects Stephenson to fill Weal's shoes, Conacher is quick to point out that he can learn from the things that made Weal successful.

One of them involves striking the right balance between being a scorer and playmaker. Weal perfected the art of making players around him better, in part by taking advantage of the fact that opposing teams would focus on him.

Stephenson was among the beneficiaries last season, scoring 22 goals in just 55 games. Most of those goals were scored while serving as Weal's left-hand man.

"I talked to Chandler about that," added Conacher. "If you're moving and going into traffic with the puck, they're going to have two guys on you so someone is open. Jordan was a great example because he drew such a crowd. He could just read it. 'If I have two or three different-coloured jerseys on me, someone is open.' If you have time and space, take it to the hole."

gharder@leaderpost.com