The Regina Pat Canadians have qualified for the Canadian men’s under-18 AAA championship tournament.
The Pat Canadians scored a 7-1 over the Winnipeg Wild in the final of the Western Regional Championship in Kenora, Ontario, on Sunday to earn their berth.
Under-age sensation Maddox Schultz scored the opening goal for Regina 46 seconds into the first period, and the Pat Canadians would never look back.
Schultz would score on the power-play 2:14 later to give the Pat Canadians a 2-0 advantage, a lead that they would take into the first intermission.
In the second period, Winnipeg’s Tegan Kurtz would score his fifth goal of the tournament to get the Wild back within a goal of Regina, 2-1. However, the Pat Canadians were just too much as Schultz would score his third of the game and Ethan Dundas and Reid Bechard also found the back of the net before the end of the second period, giving the Pat Canadians a 5-1 lead heading into the third period.
In the final frame, Regina’s Logan Mehl scored 91 seconds into the period to extend the Pat Canadians' lead. However, Regina took back-to-back penalties that allowed Winnipeg to capture some momentum, but the Pat Canadians' stellar penalty kill stopped the Wild’s man advantages.
Back at even strength, Cruz Klapak would tally his fifth goal of the weekend to round out the scoring, giving Regina the 7-1 victory.
The Pat Canadians will now return to Regina to get set for the Telus Cup Men’s Under-18 AAA Canadian Championship in Chilliwack, B.C. April 21-27.
