Four goals from Bedard, as Pats notch come-from-behind win over league-leading Ice

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The Ice age is over for the Regina Pats.

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Connor Bedard’s second four-goal sport of the Western Hockey League season bookended Friday’s comeback, as Regina rallied from a 3-0 second-period deficit to beat the Winnipeg Ice 5-3 earlier than a nationwide TV viewers and 4,949 introduced patrons on the Brandt Centre.

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It was the Pats’ fifth consecutive win and in addition ended Regina’s 21-game dropping streak towards Winnipeg, which nonetheless has the WHL’s finest file at 48-9-1-0. The Pats’ earlier victory over the Ice franchise — a 5-4 shootout win in Regina — was registered on Feb. 20, 2019 when the Ice nonetheless performed in Cranbrook.

“Plenty of the gamers weren’t right here in 2019 so I don’t assume which means something to them,” mentioned Pats’ head coach and normal supervisor John Paddock. “However I believe beating (the Ice) this 12 months, the place they’re within the nation, and the place our sport is simply getting a little bit bit higher, I believe it’s vital to the gamers.

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“It’s an enormous win for our group.”

Bedard additionally assisted on a Tanner Howe purpose that drew the sport even at three with simply over a minute to play within the second interval, giving him factors on all 5 Regina markers.

“The highest group within the league, you’re going to attempt to play your finest,” mentioned Bedard. “Not that you just don’t attempt to on a regular basis, however simply that additional motivation of we wish to have the ability to say we beat that group. To be the perfect you’ve gotta beat the perfect, and I believe that’s our mindset getting in towards them and it feels good to beat them.”

A low-event first interval Friday gave strategy to a scoring explosion within the second with Easton Armstrong, Matthew Savoie and Carson Lambos scoring 3:45 aside to provide the Ice a 3-0 lead.

Forty-three seconds later the Ice might have felt a contact of deja vu as Bedard scored on a mirror picture of Lambos’ purpose. Howe, a fellow 17 12 months outdated, grabbed a unfastened puck off a forecheck from teammate Zack Stringer and despatched a brief cross to Bedard, who scored his fifty fifth purpose of the season from the slot.

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Bedard’s second purpose got here on a tap-in from the facet of the online after a cross-ice cross from 20-year-old defenceman Stanislav Svozil, a third-round decide of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets who had a three-assist evening himself.

Bedard accomplished the hat trick — his seventh of the season and ninth of his WHL profession — on a high nook wrist shot from simply exterior the correct faceoff dot 1:35 into the third interval. And he closed the scoring on an empty netter with 21 seconds to play.

“I believe Howie (Howe) and Strings (Stringer) made an unreal play getting in on the forecheck,” Bedard mentioned of his first purpose which sparked the comeback. “Clearly a fantastic cross by Howie and I used to be fortunate sufficient to be the beneficiary of it, however I believe that units the tone if you watch these guys go in and go to battle, and go within the powerful areas and get the puck and create a purpose. In order that was enormous.”

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Overshadowed by The Bedard Present however not forgotten was Pats goalie Drew Sim, who stymied quite a few Grade A scoring possibilities whereas stopping 31 of 34 Winnipeg photographs.

Sim’s spotlight reel included a pair of short-range pad saves within the first interval, a cross-crease toe save throughout a Winnipeg energy play within the second, and a few glove-hand larceny on an Owen Pederson backhand effort about six minutes into the third.

“He’s been our spine,” Bedard mentioned of his group’s 20-year-old netminder. “He’s been our MVP all 12 months and for us we’re so fortunate to have a man like that. We now have a lot belief in him.”

Pats alternate captain Luke Bateman additionally performed a component in sealing the win, diving to interrupt up a two-on-one Winnipeg rush late within the third interval after which scurrying again moments later to clear a unfastened puck out of the purpose mouth whereas Sim was briefly down and out.

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“That was superior,” Sim mentioned. “Luke pulled one off the purpose line and Howie ate one off the thigh. In order that’s a number of instances this final two weeks I believe he’s accomplished that. I’m tremendous blissful they’re keen to place their our bodies on the road, particularly right now of 12 months.”

Sim has stopped 129 of the final 140 photographs he’s confronted and Paddock mentioned after the sport that Sim will begin once more Sunday towards the Saskatoon Blades.

“I did loads of work this week with simply making an attempt to recover from high of pucks and monitor higher on low photographs, so I believe it actually paid off tonight,” mentioned Sim.

For now the Pats (30-24-2-1) stay alone in sixth place within the WHL’s Japanese Convention playoff race, seven factors again of the fifth-place Lethbridge Hurricanes and two up on the seventh-place Drugs Tigers after each these groups gained Friday as properly.

The Pats gained’t get a lot time to savour Friday’s win as they host the Central Division-leading Purple Deer Rebels (39-17-1-3) Saturday in Regina for his or her second of three residence video games in three nights. Puck drop Saturday is scheduled for 7 p.m.