REGINA -- The Regina Pat Canadians went into action this past weekend in the Sask Male AAA Hockey League with a chance to take over first place overall, and they didn’t leave anything up to chance.
Regina would roll to a 13-3 win over the Yorkton Kinsmen Maulers in Yorkton on Saturday before claiming an 8-0 victory in the rematch on Sunday afternoon. As a result, they improve to 10-1-0-0 on the campaign and have moved a single point clear of the idle Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors for first place in the 12-team league.
Yorkton falls to 5-7-1 and are in fifth.
Things were relatively close in the opening period of the first game, as Regina’s Kysen Rogoza, Cooper Bratton and Maddox Schultz answered a goal from Yorkton’s Orsen Poll for a 3-1 Pat Canadians lead.
Back-to-back power play goals from Schultz and Ryder Doka early in the second would get things rolling for Regina, though, and they’d end up scoring four straight in the final 10 minutes for a 9-3 lead through two.
The Pat Cs added four more goals in the third, and the lopsided win was in the books.
Schultz finished with two goals and five points, while Pue had a hat trick and four points. Doka and Rogoza each scored twice, with single markers going to Grady Hodgins, Eli Heroux, Bratton and Ethan Young. Young added three assists for a four-point night, while Kai Lanigan also had four helpers. Nathan Gardiner picked up three assists.
Brodyn Pladson had both of Yorkton’s other goals.
Adam Muntain stopped 26 shots to earn the win, while Coley Ivey and Ben Wagner combined for 43 saves for Yorkton.
The rematch on Sunday afternoon picked up where things left off, as Regina took a 4-0 lead out of the first period and led 5-0 through two.
Gardiner and Hodgins each scored twice, with Alan Han scoring his first of the season and single markers going to Pue, Heroux and Malakai Martin, who finished with four points. Lanigan added two assists.
Muntain stopped all 20 shots he faced to earn the shutout, Ivey went the distance in the Yorkton goal and faced 54 shots.
Regina is now off until Thursday when they host the Saskatoon Contacts (8 p.m., Co-Operators Arena), while Yorkton is back in action Saturday when they travel to Swift Current to take on the Legionnaires (7:15 p.m., Iplex)
