Pat Canadians off to the Telus Cup

The road was a little bumpy but the Regina Pat Canadians are en route to the Telus Cup tournament.

After being just 30 seconds away from elimination at one point of the Western region championship tournament, the Pat Canadians rallied to make it to the final in Dauphin, Man. In that contest, Regina downed the Pembina Valley Hawks 7-1 to win the region and earn a berth in the Telus Cup, the Canadian midget AAA hockey championship tournament. The event is set for April 20-26 in Riviere-du-Loup, Que.

"After this weekend, with the ride we've been through, it feels a little surreal right now," Pat Canadians head coach Brad Herauf said Sunday from Dauphin.

"The experience is going to be fantastic for the boys, but we have to keep our eyes on the prize. We just have to worry about ourselves, stick to the game plan and keep working."

The Pat Canadians opened the regional tournament with a 4-1 loss to the Hawks - even though Regina outshot the Manitoba champions 40-16.

On Friday, Regina had a 28-16 advantage in shots against the host Parkland Rangers, but the Pat Canadians needed a goal from Conner Chaulk at 19:30 of the third period to salvage a 1-1 tie that kept them alive in the tournament.

Herauf attributed his team's early struggles in Dauphin to "crappy puck luck."

"We just weren't getting the bounces," he said. "We were playing well and getting tons of chances, but we hit so many posts it was incredible.

"We talked the other day that we hadn't really seen any adversity yet. Well, this weekend, we saw it all. We were 30 seconds away from being dead in the water and the boys worked themselves back."

Regina had to win Saturday's matchup against the Kenora (Ont.) Thistles to reach the final, but the Pat Canadians trailed 3-1 late in the second period.

"I bet you that some of the boys felt (doubt)," forward Riley Woods admitted. "But in the dressing room, we linked arms and brought ourselves together."

Forward Tyran Brown wasn't among those worried about the team's prospects for advancement.

"I didn't have any doubt that we could come back because we know what we can do together," he said. "After we potted a couple (goals), I knew that we were going to win."

Tyler Adams and Woods scored for Regina before the end of the second period to tie the game and Arthur Miller netted the eventual game-winner at 5:34 of the third.

Jake Tesarowski also scored for the Pat Canadians who, with a 1-1-1 record, advanced to the final.

Regina seized control against Pembina Valley in the second period and never let go. The Pat Canadians scored three straight goals in that frame to lead 4-1 - and 35-9 on the shot clock - through 40 minutes.

"We played our game (Sunday)," said Woods, who scored twice in the contest. "Everybody was contributing to the cause."

Brown also had a pair of goals for Regina, which got singles from Chaulk, Tesarowski

and Bryce Platt, as well as four assists from Owen Sillinger. The Pat Canadians converted on five of eight power-play chances.

"We've said a lot this season that our biggest enemy is ourselves," Herauf said. "Well, we faced ourselves this weekend and we overcame.

"If things like (the early struggles) had happened early in the season, we would've been frustrated and we wouldn't have been able to bounce back. This weekend, I'm most proud of the fact that we stuck with it and stayed positive."

The Pat Canadians have a chance to win the program's first Canadian midget AAA title since 1999.

"Winning (the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League title) in Battlefords was an unbelievable feeling and now this is even greater," Woods said. "This is the next step toward the biggest thing."