The Royals led 3-1 entering the third period but the Pats, led by their big guns Matt Bradley and Sam Steel, roared back with four unanswered goals to beat the Royals 5-3. It was the fourth straight victory for Regina, which will host the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament this spring.
The Pats (7-4-1) got two goals from 20-year-old Bradley, whose 20 points coming into the game were fifth-best in the Western Hockey League, and a pair of assists from Steel, the Anaheim Ducks 2017 first-round draft pick (30th overall) who led the WHL in scoring last season.
The Royals (9-2-1), coming off an overtime win in Edmonton on Wednesday night, started the game strong, scoring three times in the second period, including former Pat Jared Freadrich opening the scoring four minutes into the middle frame.
After a Bradley short-handed marker tied the game, Regan Nagy and Ralph Jarratt, with five seconds left in the period, scored back-to-back power-play goals to go to the intermission up 3-1.
But just 1:21 into the third, Bryan Locher beat Griffen Outhouse to queue the comeback. Bradley then scored on the power play, on a pretty pass from Steel to draw the Pats even before the final period was five minutes old. Marco Creta鈥檚 first of the season at 12:42 of the third proved to be the game-winner. Jonathan Smart added an empty-netter with 38 seconds remaining.
Outhouse made 33 saves, while Tyler Brown turned aside 26 of the 29 Royals shots.
The Royals now trek into Manitoba today to face the Wheat Kings in Brandon. Puck-drop is 5:30 p.m. Pacific time.
LOOSE PUCKS: Langford product Tanner Sidaway is now a member of the Pats. The 18-year-old was recently acquired from the Kootenay Ice.
