Regina Pats make push for playoffs as team heads on U.S road trip
The Regina Pats will head out on their road game stretch this week where they will face all six American based Western Hockey League (WHL) teams as they look to garner some points in the final regular season stretch.
As of right now the team sits in tenth in the Eastern Conference, outside of a playoff spot.
“It’s been like that for awhile for us. We’re trying to catch some teams in points right now. You win some and you lose some obviously that’s how the season is going to go. But as long as we’re taking every game as a playoff game,” said forward Tye Spencer.
“I think playing a full 60 [minutes], I think that’s big with our group, playing physical like we did against Calgary and I think we’ll be fine,” added captain, Tanner Howe.
Regina is coming off a big win against the Calgary Hitmen on Monday. One of the teams they are chasing in the standings to try and garner the final playoff spot in the east.
“I think we saw it as a playoff game for us. We were either going to be seven points or five points back chasing them for that playoff spot,” said head coach Brad Herauf.
“It helped us a lot. We knew we had to treat it like a game seven game. It was a big four point night. So glad our group came out with the win,” Howe added.
However, with just 12 games remaining in the regular season the Pats have their work cut out for them.
They will be facing some of the top teams in the league on the upcoming road trip. That includes the first and third place in the west teams in the Everett Silvertips and Portland Winterhawks.
“It’s going to be a hard trip. It’s been known to be a hard trip in the past. So we just kind of have to go in with the mindset that we’re here to win every game and treat it like our last,” Howe shared.
“We know how good these U.S. teams are. We need to make sure we’re playing at our best. Making sure we get as many points as we can out of this trip,” said Spencer.
The team is looking forward to playing in some new places and against teams they only get to see a few times a year.
“They hear about these guys on the internet, to see these rinks and stuff, I think that’s the biggest thing they’re looking forward to,” Herauf explained. “For us coaches our process stays the same. We can’t get too caught up on what the other teams are going to do.”
“It’s going to be new for us. You only do these road trips once a year. I think all the boys, they’re excited for it. It’s new for us, new for the younger guys too. It’s going to be fun, good team bonding,” Spencer shared.
“I’ve personally always loved playing new teams. It does get a little repetitive playing the same team[s] every couple of weeks.”
The Pats first of six games will be on Friday when they take on the Spokane Chiefs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.