Tri-City ended a six-game homestand on a good note while also ending a three-game losing streak as the bottom six forwards for Tri-City were on their game early while Xavier Wendt made 38 saves to secure the 2-1 win.
First Period
The first 20 minutes were dominated by Tri-City, who maintained constant pressure on Regina, generating chance after chance. The entire team was firing on all cylinders, playing some excellent hockey right from the start.
After a failed breakaway attempt by Regina, in which the Pat’s player lost control of the puck at the last moment, Connor Dale seized the opportunity, going coast-to-coast. His speed created a two-on-one for Tri-City, and although Dale attempted a backdoor pass, it missed its mark.
Midway through the period, Xavier Wendt came up with an incredible save to keep the Pats off the board after an unlucky bounce put Regina in a dangerous position.
In another key moment, after a board battle behind the Tri-City net, the puck popped free to Julien Maze, who found himself wide open in the slot. Maze tried to beat Wendt blocker-side, but the Tri-City netminder’s lightning-fast reflexes kept the puck out.
After relentless pressure, Tri-City finally broke the deadlock at 13:21. A point shot from Charlie Elick was tipped in front of the net by Alexander Laing, who registered his second goal of the season, giving Tri-City the lead.
Tri-City’s bottom-six forwards were especially dominant early on, and their hard work paid off again late in the period. Grady Martin scored his first goal of the season, pouncing on a loose puck in front of the Regina net. Dylan Lebret fired a long shot on goal that was initially saved by Hutchinson, but the puck lingered in the blue paint, and Martin made no mistake, doubling the lead.
At the end of the first frame, Tri-City led 2-0 and outshot Regina 16-8. They also went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill, putting together a solid all-around effort.
Second Period
The Tri-City penalty kill continued to look sharp as the American’s killed off their second penalty of the night to start the second period.
Regina then found a great chance to get on the board when Caden Brown snuck behind the Tri-City defense shorthanded. After a cleared puck, Brown was all alone on a breakaway and tried to slide it five-hole on Wendt, but the goalie came up with a huge save.
By the midway point of the second period, the momentum had clearly shifted in Regina’s favor. The Pats began to press hard, but they struggled to beat Wendt, who continued to stand tall.
A key moment came when Dayce Derkatch made a fantastic centering pass to rookie Shea Rollason, who was in front of the net. Rollason tried to jam the puck five-hole on Wendt, but once again, Wendt was equal to the task.
With 1:41 remaining in the period, Jake Gudelj was called for a penalty, giving Regina their third power play of the night. The Pats had a golden opportunity to tie the game when Caden Brown found himself unmarked in the crease with a wide-open net. Unfortunately for Regina, Brown whiffed on the puck.
Heading into the third period, Tri-City still held a 2-0 lead, despite being outshot 17-8 in the second frame. With just 20 seconds left on Gudelj’s penalty to kill, Tri-City had weathered a serious storm.
Third Period
Regina carried over their momentum into the third period and finally broke through three minutes in. Rylan Pearce fired a shot from the point that was tipped by Ruslan Karimov in the slot, sending the puck past Wendt, who was screened by traffic in front. The goal made it a 2-1 game, and suddenly, the Pats were right back in it.
With six minutes left in regulation, Tri-City’s Charlie Elick was called for boarding, giving Regina their fourth power play of the night and a chance to tie the game.
But just as things were looking better for Tri-City, Vanecek was sent to the box for high sticking, putting the Americans in a precarious position with just 36 seconds remaining on Elick’s penalty. Regina would now have 36 seconds of a five-on-three advantage and Regina elected to call timeout.
Despite the intense pressure, Tri-City’s defense and Xavier Wendt’s stellar play stood firm. Wendt made several crucial saves, including a couple of key stops during the five-on-three, keeping his team ahead.
As the final seconds ticked down, Regina ran out of time. Tri-City held on for the 2-1 victory, snapping a three-game losing streak and ending their six-game homestand on a positive note.
Post Game/What’s Next
Tri-City improved to 9-9-2, moving back to .500, and secured a much-needed win after several tough one-goal losses. Tomas Racz had a strong performance with two assists, while Xavier Wendt was exceptional in net, stopping 38 of 39 shots to earn the win.
Assistant Coach T.J. Millar went over his assessment on tonight’s 2-1 Win.
“Considering the last time we talked on Tuesday, we talked about being a little flat, and not playing to our identity, I thought we did exactly that in the first period. I kind of got the sense though that our team went into the second and third period, and that we thought the game was going to be easy, but it’s a really good reminder for our group that we need to be playing to our identity to have success. I mean, kudos to Regina, they push really hard, they’re very physical, very fast, and at the end of the day we weren’t prepared for that in the second period and third. I think it’s a really good reminder for us to regroup in the intermission and focus on what’s to come.”
Millar then went over how he thought the six-game homestand went when asked on it.
“I mean lots of positives, but I think that we are looking for some more consistency. We’re looking for a little bit more discipline. We’ve been relatively disciplined, but I felt like in a game today, if we’re off our game, you see we’re taking silly penalties and we are paying the price for it by limiting guys ice time, so I think for us, all in all, happy, but not satisfied. There is lots of room to grow, and we’ll get back to work and get back to practice next week.”
Tri-City’s bottom-six forwards also played a huge role in the victory, contributing both offensively and defensively. Head coach T.J. Millar made sure to give them credit for their efforts after the game.
“It’s really nice when those guys can chip in and contribute where they can. I know they’ve reached their sample size, and their playtime is a little lower compared to their peers. Specifically, with Alexander Laing, when we take him out of the lineup, we really miss him. And really, you know, he does so many good things every single day, it’s nice to see him get rewarded. One of the things we talked about pregame was going to the net, shooting, and making sure we’re doing our job down low. It was also really nice to see Grady with his situation of being injured as he is a guy that’s kind of finding his legs. He did a really good job in the first period in particular, getting his legs under him and going to the net and finding success.”
With the win, Tri-City will quickly head to Vancouver for a game tomorrow night at 7 P.M., before returning home next weekend to begin another homestand.
