The Regina Pats two-goal second frame lifted them to victory on Tuesday, edging the Swift Current Broncos 5-2 at the Brandt Centre.
Potentially, the most exciting moment of the season came with two minutes to play in the second stanza when Regina product Kolten Bridgeman fired home his first of the season to put the Pats ahead 3-1 after 40 minutes.
That would be the deciding goal, as the Pats broke their nine-game skid with their 16th win of the season.
After the Broncos cut their deficit in half in the third, Zack Pantelakis would score his third goal in as many games to put Regina ahead 4-2. He would then assist Ashton Brown's empty netter for his first three-point performance (1G-2A).
Matt Paranych continued to stay hot for the Pats, recording his seventh goal of the season. The Edmonton product finished with two points (1G-1A) and picked up his seventh point (2G-5A) in his last seven games. Ephram McNutt scored his fifth of the season, and Kelton Pyne made 30 saves for his 13th victory.
FINAL SCORE: Pats 5, Broncos 2
THE GOALS
First Period
1-0: Pats at 4:32 – Matt Paranych (7), assisted by Julien Maze & Pantelakis // The Pats entered the Broncos zone with speed and ended up on a three-on-one with Paranych tipping a Maze pass past Dyck to give the Pats a 1-0 lead early in the opening period.
1-1: Broncos at 16:15 – Rylan Gould (28), assisted by Daxon Yerex & Josh McGregor // Yerex's shot from the right point was redirected in by Gould to tie the contest at 1-1.
Second Period
2-1: Pats at 8:32 – Ephram McNutt (5), assisted by John Babcock & Caden Brown // Babcock let a slapper go from the left point, and the rebound went to a pinching McNutt, and he made no mistake finding the back of the net to restore the Pats one-goal lead at 2-1.
3-1: Pats at 18:04 – Kolten Bridgeman (1), unassisted // Bridgeman stole the puck in the slot and fired a beauty shot high blocker side past Dyck to give the Pats a 3-1 lead.
Third Period
3-2: Broncos at 2:39 – Payton Kettles (5), assisted by Luke Mistelbacher & Rylan Gould (PP) // Kettles got the puck behind the Pats net, and he quickly brought it to the front and stuffed it under Pyne to make it 3-2.
4-2: Pats at 12:39 – Zach Pantelakis (14), assisted by Dayton Deschamps & Matt Paranych // Deschamps, got the pass a the point, and his shot missed the mark, but the puck caromed off the back boards to Pantelakis, who tucked it home to make it 4-2 for the Pats.
5-2: Pats at 18:05 – Ashton Brown (5), assisted by Zach Pantelakis (EN) // The Pats stole the puck in the neutral zone and broke into the Broncos zone, where Brown put the icing on the cake, making it 5-2 Pats.
THE STATISTICS
SOG: Regina – 9-6-9–24 | Swift Current – 12-11-9–32
PP: Regina – 0/1 | Swift Current – 1/5
THE GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Kelton Pyne (30 saves / 32 shots)
Swift Current: Reid Dyck (19 saves / 23 shots)
THE 3 STARS
First: Kolten Bridgeman (1G) – Pats
Second: Matt Paranych (1G-1A) – Pats
Third: Zach Pantelakis (1G-2A) – Pats
JUST NOTES
- Matt Paranych scored his seventh goal of the season (fourth with the Pats) and added an assist. He now has seven points (2G-5A) in his last seven games.
- Ephram McNutt scored his fifth goal of the season and for the first time in 17 games.
- Kolten Bridgeman scored his first goal of the season and first since January 14, 2024 (a span of 85 games).
- Julien Maze grabbed an assist. He has seven points (2G-5A) in his last eight games.
- Caden Brown notched an assist and now has three points in his last four games (2G-1A).
- Zach Pantelakis has five points (3G-2A) in his last three games after picking up a goal and a pair of assists.
- Ashton Brown scored his fifth goal of the season and second in his last three games. He also has three points (2G-1A) in his previous four games.
- The Pats improved to 3-3 against the Broncos this season.
- The Pats scored 5+ goals for the eighth time this season.
- Regina improved to 16-42-5-3 while Swift Current fell to 34-29-1-2.
COMING UP
The Pats finish up their 2024-25 schedule with a home-and-home against the Brandon Wheat Kings. On Friday, March 21, the Pats head to Brandon before the return matchup on Saturday, March 22, at the Brandt Centre. Get your tickets at ReginaPats.com.
