BY Jonathan Huntington
REGINA – The Regina Pat Canadians have a flair for the dramatic.
Erasing a 2-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation, the #1 ranked U18AAA team in Canada defeated the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors 3-2 in OT in Game 1 of the SMAAAHL league final on Saturday night on home ice.
Mahlon Wiley ripped a bullet shot past Warriors’ goalie Steven Wawryk just 12 seconds into OT to give the Pat Cs a critical 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
“I lifted my head after I shot it,” quipped Wiley, a Regina Pats’ prospect. “I was pretty hyped.”
So was Maddox Schultz – the Pat Cs unquestioned leader – who had an assist on the overtime winner. “So electric,” said Schultz with a smile. “He’s one of the hardest working guys on the team.”
It was the Warriors who worked their way to a 2-0 lead early in the third period before watching it disappear. Schultz got Regina on the board with a rocket – that popped the water bottle off the net – midway through the third period.
And then with less than five minutes remaining, Malaki Martin picked the pocket of Moose Jaw’s stellar defenceman Hudson Sayers to tie the game with his eighth tally of the playoffs.
“I felt we were playing too safe in third period,” said Warriors head coach Trevor Weisgerber. “It just unfortunate.”
It sets the stage for an important Game 2 Monday night in Moose Jaw at 7 p.m. “It’s the biggest game of the series for us,” continued Schultz. After sweeping the Saskatoon Contacts and Estevan Bears in the first two rounds, Regina is now 7-0 this post-season.
FINISH LINES: Liam Pue – the Pat Cs stalwart forward – wasn’t available Saturday night, as he was in Brandon with the WHL Regina Pats in a 4-2 loss to the Wheat Kings… A sell-out standing-room-only crowd of nearly 1,400 watched Game 1 at the Co-operators Arena #6.
