The Regina Pats got back in the win column on Friday at the InnovationPlex, defeating the Swift Current Broncos 4-1. Kelton Pyne made 35 saves for his 12th win of the season, while Braxton Whitehead (2G), Reese Hamilton (1G-1A), and John Babcock (1G-1A) provided the scoring. Zachary Lansard returned to the lineup and picked up a pair of helpers, while Ephram McNutt had three assists. Hunter Mayo scored Swift Current’s only goal, which opened the scoring in the first period. The Pats led 2-1 after one and two periods of play thanks to back-to-back power-play goals from Whitehead and Hamilton late in the opening frame. FINAL SCORE: Pats 4, Broncos 1 THE GOALS First Period 1-0: Broncos at 14:51 – Hunter Mayo (15), assisted by Marek Rocak // Mayo received a pass at the left point, skated into the circle, got around the Pats defender, and fired a shot past Pyne to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. 1-1: Pats at 15:42 – Braxton Whitehead (6), assisted by Ephram McNutt & John Babcock (PP) // McNutt’s shot from the point was stopped by Dyck, but the puck got loose. Whitehead got a piece and tucked it under Dyck to even the game up at 1-1. Second Period 2-1: Pats at 17:54 – Reese Hamilton (4), assisted by Ephram McNutt & Zachary Lansard (PP) // The Pats worked the puck around the top of the Broncos zone, where McNutt found Hamilton at the midpoint. He let a shot go, and it beat Dyck high to his glove side to give the Pats the lead at 2-1. Third Period 3-1: Pats at 10:55 – Braxton Whitehead (7), assisted by Ephram McNutt & Reese Hamilton // McNutt, fired a stretch pass to the Broncos blueline to Whitehead. He broke in, fought off a Broncos defender, and put away his second of the season to give the Pats a 3-1 lead. 4-1: Pats at 14:22 – John Babcock (2), assisted by Zach Moore & Zachary Lansard // The puck popped out to a pinching Babcock, and he fired a shot over Dyck’s shoulder from below the left circle to give the Pats a 4-1 lead. THE STATISTICS SOG: Regina – 19-5-8–32 | Swift Current – 14-10-12–36 PP: Regina – 2/4 | Swift Current – 0/2 THE GOALTENDING BATTLE Regina: Kelton Pyne (35 saves / 36 shots) Swift Current: Reid Dyck (28 saves / 32 shots) THE 3 STARS First: Braxton Whitehead (2G) – Pats Second: Ephram McNutt (3A) – Pats Third: Reese Hamilton (1G-1A) – Pats JUST NOTES Braxton Whitehead ended an 18-game goalless streak with two goals. It was his fourth career multi-goal game. Reese Hamilton scored his fourth goal of the season and third with the Pats. He added an assist for a two-point night. Ephram McNutt notched a career-high three assists. John Babcock scored his second of the season, ending a 21-game drought. He also had an assist for a two-point outing. Zachary Lansard had a pair of assists in his return to the lineup. He has four points (1G-3A) in his last four games. The Pats had a season-high 19 shots in the first period. The Pats scored two powerplay goals in a game for the first time since November 22 against the Broncos, a span of 33 games. The win ended a nine-game road losing streak and a six-game skid overall. The season series is now 2-2-0-0. Regina improved to 15-34-5-2, while the Broncos dropped to 28-24-1-1. COMING UP The Pats will return to home ice on Saturday, February 22, when they face the Prince Albert Raiders at the Brandt Centre. The puck will drop at 6 p.m. Get your tickets at ReginaPats.com.
