The Moose Jaw Warriors got off to a great start but couldn’t find a way to shut down an opportunistic Regina Pats crew on Saturday night, and that made for a comfortable win for the home team.
Connor Bedard put up a hat trick and five points, and the Pats would go on to an 8-4 victory at the Brandt Centre in Regina.
The Warriors fell to 33-17-0-3 with the loss, remaining a single point back of the Saskatoon Blades for third place in the Eastern Conference.
Moose Jaw took the ice hours after the WHL announced that four players -- goaltender Connor Ungar, defenceman Max Wanner, defenceman Marek Howell and forward Lynden Lakovic -- had been suspended indefinitely pending in investigation into violations of the WHL Standard of Conduct.
The Warriors carried the play much of the first period and the opportunities paid off with 4:27 to go in the opening frame.
Brayden Yager forced a neutral zone turnover and went in on a breakaway, with a slash from a pursuing defender drawing a penalty shot. Yager would stickhandle in and beat Regina goaltender Drew Sim on his forehand along the ice, taking the early 1-0 lead.
Martin Rysay -- returning from an injury that kept him off the ice the last three games -- made it 2-0 Moose Jaw with 2:37 remaining in the period, breaking down the right wing and firing a shot from the bottom of the face-off circle top shelf blocker side.
The Pats would get one back before the period was out, and it was the usual suspect. Bedard worked his way into the slot and put a perfect shot top corner with 1:17 remaining, sending the teams into the dressing room with a 2-1 Moose Jaw lead.
A scrum at the end of the first period led to the Warriors receiving their first power play of the game to start the second, and they capitalized. Eric Alarie was the beneficiary of a goal-mouth scramble, finding the puck at the top of the crease and lifting a backhand home 49 seconds in.
The Pats pulled back within one less than a minute later, with Zack Stringer forcing a defensive zone turnover and finding Tye Spencer in the slot to make it a 3-2 game.
Things got worse from there, as Regina would score twice more in the next five minutes. Alexander Suzdalev tied the game on a hard-angle shot at 3:55 and Zane Rowan finished off another defensive zone turnover at 6:50 to make it a 4-3 Pats lead.
The Warriors took advantage of a Pats turnover in their end to tie the game with 4:45 remaining. Josh Hoekstra outduelled a defender along the boards, found Robert Baco with a cross-ice pass and Rysavy would put the rebound off Baco’s shot past Sim.
Some lackadaisical defending led to Regina regaining the lead with 1:50 left in the second. Borya Valis was left all alone in front of the Warriors net, taking a pass from Bedard and going cross crease before slipping a pass past Jackson Unger.
Bedard then scored his second of the game four minutes into the third period, toe-dragging into the high slot and putting a shot over Unger’s glove. And 10 minutes after that, Bedard finished off his hat trick as the beneficiary of getting taken down while driving to the net and having the puck go off him and into the goal.
A high-sticking double-minor to Tate Schofer put Regina on the power play for much of the last four minutes, and Tanner Howe would score with 2:08 remaining to finish off scoring.
Ungar had 19 saves in the Warriors net, Sim stopped 39 at the other end of the ice.
The Warriors are back in action on Friday, Feb. 17 when they host the Winnipeg Ice during the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame Game. Paul Masters and Kevin Dyck will be honoured, one night after being enshrined in the Hall. Game time is 7 p.m.
