CHLLIWACK, B.C. -- The Regina Pat Canadians are going for gold at the Telus Cup.
Regina scored three goals in the first period and never looked back on their way to a 5-0 win over the Elgin Middlesex Canucks in the male U18 AAA national championship hockey tournament semifinal on Saturday afternoon in Chilliwack, B.C.
They’ll now face the Chevaliers de Levis for the Canadian title on Sunday afternoon after the undefeated Quebec champions took a 3-0 victory over the Moncton Flyers in the other semifinal.
A fast start can often make a huge difference in an important game, and that’s exactly what Regina had in their semi.
Chase Surkan got things started with a power play goal at the 8:49 mark of the first period and the Pat Canadians were off to the races, in no small part thanks to Ethan Young.
The 16-year-old defenceman picked the perfect time to score his first two goals of the tournament, first making it a 2-0 game with 4:53 to play in the first and then increasing the lead to three goals only 1:29 later.
Fellow rearguard Cooper Bratton then scored his first of the tournament for Regina 4:36 into the second, and things were all but academic from there.
Cash Lanigan closed out scoring in the contest with 3:02 gone in the third, and the Pat Canadians were off to the gold medal game not much long after.
Taylor Tabashniuk was his usual solid self in goal and turned aside all 28 shots he faced to earn the shutout. Dylan Durno had 35 saves for the Canucks.
Regina now turns their attention to the national championship contest against the Chevaliers, who went 5-0 in the round robin and haven’t had an opponent finish closer than three goals in a game since their one-goal win over Okanagan to open the event.
That includes a 6-2 win over Regina in the final game of the preliminary round, where Levis scored four goals in the first period and went on to a 6-2 victory in a battle of unbeatens to that point.
Elgin MIddlesex will face Moncton for bronze at 12 p.m., with Regina and Levis taking the ice for gold at 4 p.m.
The contest can be seen on TSN Plus, on HNLive.ca and you can follow along with all the up-to-the-minute scores and information on www.hockeycanada.ca.
