The Pats and Broncos split the first two games of their WHL playoff series at the Brandt Centre. The Pats steamrolled Swift Current 4-0 in the opener, and the Broncos rebounded to take game two 4-3 in overtime.
The Pats outworked, outhit and outhustled their opponents in the opener, then mysteriously let their collective feet off the gas pedal in game two. To be fair, Speedy Creek came up with a significantly better effort Saturday night - but the Pats were still the architects of their own undoing. Regina's powerplay is 1/15 in the series. A couple of goals with the man advantage, and the Pats would easily be taking a 2-0 series lead to Swift Current for games three and four Tuesday and Wednesday. Now, they'll be hard-pressed to split those two games in a hostile environment. Oh well, no one really thought this would be a four game series, did they?
3 comments:
The boys are in deep crap right now and they know it. Last nites game was a pig and no matter how much lipstick you put on it, it was ugly. Coach Perkins put on the rose colored glasses and tried to put a positive spin on everything but it didn't show that way from the stands. He did the obligatory defense of Rowatt, but the kid cost the Pats the game. He was not really stellar last nite and committed an unforgivable error. This is the time of year you need exceptional goaltending and the Pats didn't get it.
Your comments were accurate after the game, although I gather Perkins didn't really agree. You called it the way everyone seen it. Ofukany, Sauletis, McAngus and Deck were good. Not many others were at all last nite.
The Pats had 9 freaking PP's and 2 five on three's. The came up with nada...The was no urgency to score whatsoever. The PK was terrible. The Broncos had chances on nearly all of their PP chances and scored on two.
The Pats have been appropriately documented as being poor on the road. Now they have to be considered underdogs and play desperation hockey the rest of the way out and try to reclaim home ice advantage. All the Broncos have to do is win their remaining home games. Unless Rowatt plays better than his age, and the rest of the team understand their predicament, golfing may soom be on the horizon.
I'm not ready to write the boys off yet, but I also stand by my post-game analysis. The boys (with a handful of exceptions)had no fire, no passion, and were basically going through the motions until the last five minutes of regulation.
The Pats can be scary good when they're all rowing in the same direction. The million dollar question is - why doesn't that happen more often? We'll see what kind of effort they come up with Tuesday night.
Pete, there is nothing to stand behind man. You were RIGHT!! They played the first ten and the last ten. They played down to Swifts's level all the rest. Everybody around me said if they dont pick it up they are going to blow this game and, voila....
I have long wondered if a 17 yr old tender will take any team far. Vancouver has lost one and won one in OT with a 17 yr old goalie, against a team they should be able to beat with only four skaters on the ice at any time. Rowatt was sub-par last nite and will have to be better. Moir hasn't been awesome but he is a veteran and will likely be there in the crunch. The Pats have their work cut out for them.
It wasn't just the players to blame in my mind. The coaching staff did not have this team ready to go on Saturday, and it showed. It is their job to have them ready for 60 mins and they weren't. Maybe Steve Young can help the Pats out a bit. He is after all the only coach from these parts to get to a league final since the early 80's...the winner of the next game will win the series.
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