WHL Preview: Regina at Red Deer

In one of two games on the WHL schedule for this evening, two Eastern Conference teams face off as the Regina Pats visit the Red Deer Rebels for a 7 p.m. MST matchup.

• Red Deer Rebels: 31-22-4-2, 68 pts; 169 GF, 172 GA, 6-3-1-0 in last ten
• Regina Pats: 20-33-3-3, 46 pts; 151 GF, 216 GA, 2-7-0-1 in last ten

Red Deer sits fifth in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind fourth-place Prince Albert. The Rebels have the fewest goals-for of the top seven teams in the conference but are also one of the least-penalized teams, with just 789 penalty minutes this season.

Red Deer looks to build off a pair of wins over Prince George and Victoria; the Rebels have won four of their last five games dating back to February 6. Most recently, the Rebels defeated Prince George 4-1 on February 13 before beating Victoria 2-1 on February 15.

Left wing Turner Elson leads the Rebels with 44 points in 52 games this season; his 26 assists are tied with fellow winger Joel Hamilton for best on the team. Right winger Rhyse Dieno leads the Rebels with 23 goals on the season, while defenseman Brandon Underwood has garnered 85 penalty minutes during his 54 games with the Rebels.

Patrik Bartosak has appeared in 43 games for the Rebels this season, winning 25 of them and carring a 2.36 GAA and .932 save percentage. Bartosak’s record this year includes 1,328 saves and a pair of shutouts.

Tonight’s game is the final of a three-game homestand for the Rebels, who will go on to visit Lethbridge on Friday.

Regina sits twelfth in the Eastern Conference, with a 45-point gap between the Pats and the first-place Edmonton Oil Kings. Regina is tied with Moose Jaw for the lowerst goals-for in the conference, while the team just tipped over the plateau of 1,000 penalty minutes on the season.

The Pats have lost three consecutive games, with the team’s last win coming in a 7-3 victory over Brandon on February 9. Following that, the Pats suffered defeat at the hands of Medicine Hat, Swift Current and Calgary.

Leading the charge for the Pats this season is a pair of left-wingers, both of whom have notched 29 goals and just over 60 points each for Regina. Lane Scheidel leads the team with 65 points (29-36), while Morgan Klimchuk’s 61 points aren’t too far behind. Both average over a point per game, and Scheidl and Klimchuk have each scored 11 goals on the power-play this season.

Matt Hewitt has been Regina’s main netminder this season, appearing in 45 games. He’s allowed 144 goals on 1,437 shots faced, giving him a 3.41 GAA and .900 save percentage. Hewitt is 13-22-2-3 on the season.

Rookie Teagan Sacher has appeared in 21 games for Regina and has a 3.48 GAA and .895 save percentage. He has allowed 60 goals on 571 shots faced.

After tonight’s game, the team travels to Edmonton to take on the first-place Oil Kings squad on February 20.

Tonight’s game is the fourth and final meeting between the Pats and the Rebels this season. Regina won the first game, a 3-2 victory on October 5, while Red Deer has won the last two games by scores of 3-1 and 5-1.

Right wing Rhyse Dieno and left winger Joel Hamilton lead Red Deer with four points each in the season series, while defenseman Colton Jobke leads the Pats with three points.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s game and can be purchased online here. Find radio and broadcast information at the WHL website or by clicking here.