The Regina Pat Canadians have secured the top seed in the Telus Cup playoffs after a hard-fought 5-4 victory over the Okanagan Rockets in their final round-robin game of the six-team tournament on Friday in Peterborough, Ontario.
This win marked Regina's fourth regulation victory in the tournament. Under a standings system awarding three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, and one for an overtime or shootout loss, Regina finished atop the standings with 13 points. Their only loss came in a 6-5 overtime defeat to the second-place Lévis Chevaliers.
Liam Pue scored twice for the Pat Canadians, while Brady Vipond, Brodie Bowen, and Xavier Doane each added a goal. Regina led 5-2 after two periods and outshot the Rockets 57-33. Goaltender Adam Muntain made 29 saves to preserve the win.
Semifinals and Championship
The top four teams advance to the semifinals, but Regina's opponent was not determined until all round-robin games concluded Friday night. The semifinal winners will meet in the gold-medal game, while the losers will compete for third place. The championship final is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on TSN.
Back-to-Back Title Hopes
Regina defeated Lévis in last year's championship game in Chilliwack, British Columbia, giving the Pat Canadians franchise a record-tying fifth Canadian under-18 male hockey championship. Now, Regina is vying to become the fifth franchise to win back-to-back Telus Cups, a feat not accomplished since the Red Deer Chiefs repeated as champions in 2012-13.
The Pat Canadians have shown strong form throughout the tournament, and with the top seed secured, they look to continue their pursuit of another national title.
