BY Jonathan Huntington
REGINA – It will forever be a season to remember for the Regina Pat Canadians. The provincial champions added the Western regional title on Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out home crowd.
When this game – the 11th in an epic season-long battle with the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors – is remembered, these four plays will stand-out as key moments that helped Regina to advance to the Canadian championship tournament later this month in Ontario.
Answering The Bell: Maddox Schultz stood outside his own dressing room late Saturday afternoon to answer questions from the media after Regina had defeated the Winnipeg Bruins to qualify for the regional final.
Schultz said his team had to come out flying against Moose Jaw on Sunday – just like they did in the league final a week earlier.
Well, right on cue, Schultz slipped behind the Warriors’ defensive pairing just 18 seconds into Sunday’s game to break-in alone on goalie Steven Wawryk – and deposited the puck into the net with an eye-popping deke to his backhand. It was 1-0 Regina with the crowd in a frenzy and Moose Jaw on its heels.
“It was a huge goal for us,” said Schultz, who was quick to give credit to Ryker Doka for the stretch pass that sent him on the breakaway.
Added Regina head coach Ryan Hodgins: “I don’t think you can get much quicker (of a goal).”
Martin’s Muscle: With two Warriors draped-over him along the boards with two minutes left in the second period, Regina’s Malaki Martin used his strength and slick stick-handling to keep possession of the puck in the offensive zone, which forced Moose Jaw’s Wade Franks to slash him in a frustrating attempt to get the puck.
That penalty led Regina to the power-play and 20 seconds later, Martin delivers a perfect pass to Schultz – and he rips the puck top shelf behind Warriors goalie Steven Wawryk to give Regina a critical 3-1 lead.
“I was picking my water bottle up after the shot,” stated Wawryk, who had to fight through a screen in front of his crease and couldn’t find the puck until after it whistled by his mask and popped the water bottle off his net.
A High Miss: In desperate need to turn the momentum in the final seconds of the second period, Moose Jaw’s Jamie Kirwan had a golden opportunity with less than 10 ticks left in the frame. Taking a slick pass, Kirwan was all by himself in the slot but ripped the puck high over the net – leaving Regina with a 2-goal lead into the third period.
Fresh Legs: It might have been the best image to summarize the third period – Regina’s Mahlon Wiley simply blew past Moose Jaw’s Ryder Gilroy in the neutral zone with 11 minutes left. Gilroy was totally exhausted after logging major minutes in an effort to get Moose Jaw back in the game – while Wiley was fresh as a member of Regina’s third line. Wiley skated away down the boards and put the final nail in the Warriors’ coffin with a sneaky dribbler that beat Wawryk for a 4-1 lead for the hometown crew.
