The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored the tying goal with six seconds on the clock before defeating the Regina Pats 6-5 in overtime on Friday at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
Leo Braillard scored the tying goal in the dying seconds of the contest, while Shane Smith completed the Hurricanes comeback with the overtime winner. Jackson Unger relieved starter Koen Cleaver in the third, stopping four of five en route to his 20th victory.
The Pats got off to a great start, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. After the Pats took a 3-0 lead in the second period, the Canes got on the board, trailing 3-1. That would give Lethbridge some life, as they would add another to trail 3-2. Despite the pushback, the Pats held onto a 4-3 lead after two.
After Kooper Gizowski scored to tie the game at 4-4, Cohen Klassen would complete his first three-point game with his second of the night, giving Regina a 5-4 lead with 3:27 remaining in regulation.
Former Pat Anthony Wilson finished the night with two goals for the Canes, scoring his first two in red and white. Brayden Yager finished with three assists, and Brayden Edwards had three points (1G-2A).
Keets Fawcett put together one of his better games with the Pats, scoring for a third straight game in a multi-point performance (1G-1A). Ephram McNutt chipped in with a pair of assists, and Kelton Pyne made 28 saves in the loss.
FINAL SCORE: Hurricanes 6, Pats 5 (OT)
THE GOALS
First Period
1-0: Pats at 10:21 – Cohen Klassen (5), assisted by Cameron Kuzma & Brayden Smith // Kuzma, got the puck in the left corner of the Hurricanes zone and fed a backhand pass to Klassen, who ripped it past Cleaver from the midpoint to give the Pats a 1-0 lead.
2-0: Pats at 16:05 – Zach Pantelakis (11), assisted by Keets Fawcett & Julien Maze (PP) // Fawcett had time at the left circle and let a shot go that was redirected by Pantelakis past a screened Cleaver to give the Pats a 2-0 lead.
Second Period
3-0: Pats at 13:16 – Ashton Brown (3), assisted by Cohen Klassen & Ephram McNutt // Cleaver stopped a Pats shot from the right circle with his right pad, but the puck bounced to Brown, who got a piece of it to knock it past the Hurricanes goalie to make it 3-0 Pats.
3-1: Hurricanes at 13:26 – Anthony Wilson (8), assisted by Logan McCutcheon & Vojtech Port // Wilson, streaked into the Pats zone, and his shot from the left circle beat a screened Pyne to get the Hurricanes on the board to make it 3-1 Pat.
3-2: Hurricanes at 15:47 – Brayden Edwards (22), assisted by Leo Braillard & Brayden Yager (PP) // The Hurricanes moved the puck around the top of the point in the Pats zone until Braillard got the puck at the left circle and he found a wide-open Edwards in front of the Pats goal and he tipped it past Pyne to make it 3-2.
4-2: Pats at 18:03 – Keets Fawcett (10), assisted by Braxton Whitehead & Jace Egland // The Pats got multiple attempts on Cleaver, which he stopped until Whitehead's shot bounced off his pad to Fawcett, who buried his 10th of the season to restore the Pats two-goal lead at 4-2.
4-3: Hurricanes at 18:53 – Anthony Wilson (9), assisted by Kash Andresen & Trae Johnson // Pyne, stopped the initial shot, but the rebound got to Wilson, and he was able to tuck a backhander under the right pad of Pyne to pull the Hurricanes to within one at 4-3.
Third Period
4-4: Hurricanes at 8:28 – Kooper Gizowski (9), assisted by Brayden Yager // A turnover by the Pats in the Hurricanes zone led to an odd-man rush with Gizowski finishing off a give-and-go with Yager to tie the contest up at 4-4.
5-4: Pats at 16:33 – Cohen Klassen (6), assisted by Ephram McNutt & Matt Paranycjh // Klassen entered the Hurricanes zone down the left wing side, and he ripped a shot far side over Unger's blocker side to give the Pats a 5-4 lead.
5-5: Hurricanes at 19:54 – Leo Braillard (22), assisted by Brayden Edwards & Brayden Yager // With the Hurricanes net empty, the puck got out in front of the Pats net to Braillard. He was able to put it into the net past a down and out Pyne to tie the game up at 5-5.
Overtime
6-5: Hurricanes at 1:19 – Shane Smith (9), assisted by Brayden Edwards & Tristen Doyle // Smith skated in and cut to the mid slot, and his shot got past a screened Pyne to give the Hurricanes a come-from-behind win.
THE STATISTICS
SOG: Regina – 9-9-4-1–23 | Lethbridge – 5-18-10-1–34
PP: Regina – 1/3 | Lethbridge – 1/3
THE GOALTENDING BATTLE
Regina: Kelton Pyne (28 saves / 34 shots)
Lethbridge: Koen Cleaver (14 saves / 18 shots in 40:00) and Jackson Unger (4 saves / 5 shots in 20:16)
THE 3 STARS
First: Anthony Wilson (2G) – Hurricanes
Second: Cohen Klassen (2G-1A) – Pats
Third: Leo Braillard (1G-1A) – Hurricanes
JUST NOTES
- Keets Fawcett scored his 10th goal of the season, which gives him goals in three straight contests. He has five points (3G-2A) in his last five games.
- Cohen Klassen had two goals and an assist, giving him five points (2G-3A) in his last four games. It was also his first career three-point game.
- Zach Pantelakis scored his 11th goal of the season, ending a three-game pointless drought.
- Ashton Brown picked up his third goal of the season and second with the Pats, both of which have come within the last four contests.
- Brayden Smith ended a nine-game pointless streak with an assist.
- Julien Maze has had two assists in his last three games.
- Ephram McNutt ended a four-game pointless skid with a pair of assists and continues to add to his career-high with 18 assists.
- Braxton Whitehead ended a six-game pointless drought with an assist.
- Jace Egland has points in back-to-back games (1G-2A).
- Matt Paranych had an assist, which was his first point in three games.
- Regina is 0-2-1-0 versus Lethbridge this season.
- The Pats fell to 14-32-5-2 while the Hurricanes improved to 34-16-2-1.
COMING UP
The Pats finish their five-game road swing with a matchup against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday, February 15. The Queen City Kids will return on home ice on Wednesday, February 19th, when they face the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Get your tickets at ReginaPats.com.
