It wasn’t the homecoming the Regina Pats were hoping for after a lengthy road trip in the United States last week.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes thumped the Pats 7-2 on Friday night at the Brandt Centre after scoring five straight goals in the first half of the game.
Dylan Cozens scored a minute into the game to give the Canes a 1-0 lead. He scored a second later in the period and assisted on an Oliver Okuliar tally, making it 3-0 Lethbridge after one.
The Hurricanes put up two more goals in the second before defenceman Zach Wytinck responded for the Pats near the halfway point of regulation.
A 5-1 scoreline heading into the third, the onslaught continued as Okuliar and Alex Cotton each scored their second goals of the game to advance their lead to 7-1.
Robbie Holmes netted his 17th of the year at 13:18, ending the game at 7-2 for the visitors.
Even though the Hurricanes sport one of the best records in the league at 28-11-2-5, Pats assistant coach Brad Herauf was hoping for a better effort from his players.
“We weren’t very conscious away from the puck tonight,” said Herauf on 620 CKRM’s post-game show.
“They can’t score that many goals on that many shots, and we have to generate a lot more scoring opportunities. It wasn’t good offensively or keeping the puck out of our net.”
The Pats were outshot 29-22 in the loss. Backup goaltender Danton Belluk started the game for Regina, allowing three goals on eight shots in the first period. Donovan Buskey replaced him at the start of the second, ending the night with 17 saves on 21 shots.
Next for the Pats is a visit from the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday afternoon. Fans can listen to the game live on 620 CKRM with pre-game beginning at 3:35 p.m.
