The Swift Current Broncos (2-5-0-0) and Regina Pats (6-4-0-0) appeared destined for overtime Friday night, but Connor Bedard scored with eight seconds left in regulation to lift the Pats to a 4-3 win.
It was a tough start to the game for the Broncos as the Pats opened the scoring in the first minute of the game. Stanislav Svozil carried the puck over the Broncos line on an odd-man rush before sending it across the ice for Sam Oremba who redirected it past Reid Dyck just 48 seconds into the game.
After killing off a pair of penalties, the Broncos tied the game. Adam McNutt’s shot from the right circle was tipped wide of the net, and Clarke Caswell won the race to recover it behind the Regina goal. Caswell skated out on the blocker side of Drew Sim before backhanding a pass across the crease to Josh Filmon who fired it past Sim to tie the game at one. It was Filmon’s third straight game with a goal.
The game remained tied until the final minute of the first period before the Pats regained the lead. Off a faceoff win in the Regina zone by the Broncos, a one timer was blocked and slid all the way down the ice to the Broncos zone. Easton Armstrong took off from his own zone to win the race to the loose puck before snapping it past the blocker of Dyck, restoring the Pats lead with just 44 seconds to go in the first period.
Regina took the 2-1 lead into the intermission, outshooting the Broncos 12-11.
Braeden Lewis was given a four-minute double minor for checking from behind 11:30 into the second period, and Connor Bedard scored just eight seconds into the power play after taking a pass from behind the net and beating Reid Dyck over the blocker from the slot.
Swift Current got their first, and only, power play of the game with 2:49 remaining in the third period, and much like their last game on Saturday in Regina, the Broncos capitalized on their lone power play opportunity. Owen Pickering sent the puck to Connor Hvidston on the left-wing boards and he fed Mathew Ward in the high slot who leaned into a one timer, beating Drew Sim on the blocker side to cut Regina’s lead to 3-2.
The Broncos were called for another penalty early in the third period, but the Pats top power play unit struggled in their own zone, turning the puck over three times. On the third chance, Ward picked up the loose puck along the left-wing boards and beat Sim through the five hole from the left circle to tie the game with a shorthanded goal.
The two teams seemed primed for overtime until the final seconds of regulation as Regina made their way up ice. Borya Valis took a pass on right wing and gained the Bronco line before spotting Bedard heading straight to the net.
Valis fed him the pass and Bedard had a short breakaway from between the circles, quickly lifting a shot over the glove of Dyck with just eight seconds left in regulation, sealing the 4-3 Regina win.
The Broncos will look to rebound against the undefeated Red Deer Rebels (6-0-0-0) Saturday night at home. You can hear the game live on the Eagle 94.1 FM with Living Sky Casino Broncos Hockey beginning at 6:30pm and the face-off at 7:00pm.
Announced attendance was 1,922.