The Regina Pats moved over the .500 mark (5-4) on Wednesday night after defeating the Prince Albert Raiders 3-0.
Drew Sim earned his first shutout as Pat, as he made 22 saves for Regina. The goalie remains undefeated in the early portion of the 2022-23 season, earning wins in his first four starts.
Easton Armstong, Tanner Howe and Tye Spencer were the goal scorers for the Pats.
Connor Bedard earned an assist on Spencer’s goal to extend his point streak to eight games.
Assistant Coach Ken Schenider says Sim has stepped his up game this year after putting in the work during this past offseason.
“Last year was bit of a rough ride at times, I think he learned a lot at the end of the season, Drew came back here with the right attitude, I think that’s a big part of it, we always knew he had the physical ability, the skillset was there, he’s worked hard and we’re pleased for him.”
Sim said it was a great feeling to record the shutout.
“This all started last year and persisted into the summer, to have this come through like this has been amazing for my confidence and for me.”
At the beginning of the season, there were three goalies competing for playing time in the Pats crease at the beginning. Sim along with Matthew Kieper and Koen MacInnes were involved in the battle until MacInnes was let go, leaving Sim and Kieper as the Pat’s goaltending duo going forward, Schneider believes the two netminders deserve the opportunity.
“At the end of the day, the two guys here are the two guys that earned the job and played really well through the fall and into October. ”
Regina’s final goal of the evening came as a result of Spencer emerging a battle in front of the net to bury the loose puck in the back of the net, the Pats assistant coach thinks the 18 year old is ready to go into the areas of the ice that are needed to score goals.
“He has a lot more confidence, he’s around the puck a lot, to score that goal in the dirty area in the paint, that to me shows his confidence level has gone way up.”
Wednesday night marked the debut of Tanner Brown in a Pats uniform, his former teammate in Vancouver Sim says the veteran blueliner brings a lot to Regina.
“First breakout passes right on the tape, if he doesn’t have a play, it’s off the glass and out, and you don’t have to worry about him making a mistake most days and if he does, he’ll make up for it.”
Regina wraps up their three game homestand picking up two wins. They will head on the road on Friday to Swift Current to meet the Broncos. On Sunday, the Pats will return to the Brandt Centre when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
