The Regina Pats are one step closer to locking down a playoff spot after they defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-3 on Wednesday night.
The win snaps a four-game losing streak for Regina.
Tanner Howe and Connor Bedard each had a pair of goals with Stanislav Svozil and Brayden Barnett also scoring.
Drew Sim earned the victory making 27 saves.
Regina opened the scoring when the referee originally waved Svozil’s goal off due to goalie interference. But after a video review, the ruling was overturned and the Pats jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
The Pats were able to extend their lead as a result of their presence in front of the net. Barnett scored his second goal of the season after burying a rebound. 2:39 later, Howe scored his first goal of the night after finding a loose puck in front of the net.
In the second period, Howe would score his 33rd goal of the season after Riley Ginnell was able to provide him with a perfect pass from behind the net.
Joby Baumiller scored for Brandon, but the Pats would regain their three-goal edge after Bedard stepped out of the penalty box and received a breakaway pass from Braxton Whitehead. The Pats captain scored his 62nd goal of the season to put Regina ahead 4-1.
Brandon would make things interesting with a pair of goals before Bedard added an empty-netter to put the game away.
On the season, Bedard now has 63 goals 66 assists for 129 points.
Along with the win, John Paddock moves into sole possession of second spot on the Pats all-time list of coaches wins with his 207th victory behind the Pats bench.
After the game Assistant coach Brad Herauf praised Paddock’s efforts through the years in the Queen City.
“What he has meant to this franchise is everything, he is our culture, he is who we are trying to be the last two years here, there’s not a better person who deserves it more than him. ”
Herauf said on Wednesday night, the Pats were able to restore some good techniques that has eluded the team during their recent four-game losing streak.
“We just weren’t checking hard enough, we weren’t managing the puck the right way, we weren’t defending the right way, we got back to it tonight, got back to cycling the puck more, we were a lot less one and done in the offensive zone. ”
Former Wheat King, Ginnell was happy to pick up the win against his former team.
“It’s pretty easy to get up for these ones.”
When he described his assist on the Pats fourth goal scored by Howe, Ginnell said he got a little bit of luck when a Brandon defenceman broke his stick.
“I kind of grabbed the puck and skated up ice, got into their zone and went to work down low and Howie he’s a special player, he found some open ice, he never misses those, so I thought I would put it on his stick and it was in the back of the net. ”
With the victory, Regina moves four points behind Lethbridge for 5th spot in the Eastern Conference after the Hurricanes were defeated by Calgary on Wednesday night. Medicine Hat trails the Pats by five points.
On Friday night, the Pats will begin their final home and home set of the regular season with the Moose Jaw Warriors. The two-game affair will start at the Brandt Centre before shifting over to Moose Jaw on Saturday.
Coverage for Friday night’s game on 620 CKRM begins with the pre-game show at 6:35, Dante De Caria will have the play-by-play beginning at 7:00.
