The Regina Pats are to open the 2020-21 Western Hockey League season one year and one day after their last game of the 2019-20 campaign.
The WHL released the schedule for the East Division bubble on Wednesday. Regina is to begin its slate of games March 12, 8 p.m., against the Prince Albert Raiders.
The Pats’ most-recent game was March 11, 2020, against the Winnipeg Ice. The remainder of the 2019-20 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
The Pats, Raiders, Ice, Brandon Wheat Kings, Moose Jaw Warriors, Saskatoon Blades and Swift Current Broncos are all in Regina, which is the East Division’s hub city for the ’20-21 campaign.
Each team is to play 24 games, with four against each of the other six clubs. All of the contests are to be played at the Brandt Centre.
The rest of the Pats’ schedule can be found here. The entire WHL schedule can be seen here.
The start of the WHL’s 2020-21 season was delayed numerous times because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Central Division (comprising the five Alberta-based teams) started play Friday, with teams playing games in their home arenas.
The B.C. Division (made up of five teams from that province) is to begin its schedule March 26, with hubs in Kamloops and Kelowna.
The U.S. Division (featuring the five teams in Washington and Oregon) is to start play March 18.
The Washington-based teams will play home games in their home rinks. The Portland Winterhawks are to play their first two home games in Kent, Wash., while awaiting the go-ahead from Oregon health officials to play in Portland.