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Familiar foes are once again battling for the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League title.
The Regina Pat Canadians and the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors will battle it out in the league finals for a second season in a row, with the Pat Canadians hosting Moose Jaw in Game 1 Saturday night.
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The Pat Canadians swept the final against the Warriors last season and would go on to win the Telus Cup — the national championship for the league.
“There’s a rivalry with Moose Jaw and Regina in any sport. If you talk to the baseball teams in Regina against baseball teams in Moose Jaw, it’s there,” Pat Canadians head coach Ryan Hodgins said.
“It’s just down the highway so it’s an easy rivalry to have and it’s a lot of fun.”
It was a rivalry that was on display all season as the two battled it out in the standings. Regina finished at the top of the regular season table with a 38-3-3-0 record, while Moose Jaw was right on their heels with a 37-5-1-1 record. The teams split their regular-season series 2-2.
The Pat Canadians have cruised to the finals, sweeping both of their playoff matchups.
While Moose Jaw swept its first-round series, they needed all five games to beat the Saskatoon Blazers.
“It’s a long regular season and the playoffs are a grind. To have these opportunities, it’s exciting,” Hodgins said.
With Regina having to wait to determine who they would be facing in the finals, Hodgins said their goal was to stay sharp during the wait.
“That’s what our goal has been all year — keep improving and get better. We just stayed on course to what we have been doing,” Hodgins said.
The Pat Canadians do have some mystery when it comes to how their lineup will shake out.
Both Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue have been splitting time between the Pat Canadians and the WHL’s Regina Pats this season as a part of the league’s new development model. The Pats are currently trying to clinch a spot in the playoffs. If they do, a decision will need to be made how the two will spend their time during the respective runs.
Schultz has 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists) in just 21 games for the Pat Canadians. Pue has 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists) in the SMAAAHL.
With those two playing a limited number of games, a number of players have filled the void which allowed the team to remain so competitive.
One of those players is Malaki Martin, who led the Pat Canadians with 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists) during the regular season.
“It’s been awesome. The guys around me have been really fun to play with,” Martin said. “I think I got my confidence when Schultz and Pue were bouncing back and forth, I got a bigger role. I was able to showcase what I really had.”
Martin said it’s awesome when the pair of WHL Draft picks are able to be in their lineup.
“They are two great players but whoever we have in the lineup, we rock with who we have,” Martin said.
“We have a good team and are ready to work without them in the lineup and with them in the lineup. We have great compete and work ethic when they are not here.
“They have a great scoring touch. It’s awesome having them in the lineup because they are two great players and great humans as well.”
The Pat Canadians also feature two solid options at goalie as both Ben Meyer and Adam Muntain have played in three games apiece in the postseason, winning all of them.
“It’s a great problem to have. To have two players who your team and coaching staff believe in, it’s a real strength to have two guys who are No. 1 goalies. It’s awesome,” Hodgins said.
With the Telus Cup West Regionals taking place in Regina, the Pat Canadians have an automatic berth in the tournament due to being the host. That means Moose Jaw has also qualified for the regionals after making the finals.
But despite already having their ticket punched to regionals, Hodgins said the team wants to claim a second straight provincial title.
“We want to win. We want to win a provincial title so there’s no relaxing or sitting back with our group. We have a goal to win and that’s what we are going to try to do,” Hodgins said.
— with files from CJME News
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