The Regina Pats have had their road woes this season, winning just twice in 10 games.
That was, until Saturday night.
Jordan Eberle had a goal and three assists, and Garrett Mitchell and Jordan Weal each scored a pair of goals as the Pats embarrassed the Tri-City Americans 7-1 before a crowd of 5,051 at Toyota Center -- the Ams' first home loss of the season in 10 games.
It was the worst loss on home ice for the Americans (18-6-0-0, 36 points) since Kamloops shut out Tri-City 6-0 on Feb. 1, 2003.
"I think we are used to it going our way, and when it didn't, we had a tough time dealing with it. We pouted," said
Tri-City coach Jim Hiller. "There are nights when bounces go your way and things are easy. Tonight it didn't and we responded with a spoiled-child attitude. Now we have to respond -- that's the next challenge."
Regina (13-11-3-0, 29 points) scored four goals on the power play, rookie goalie Dawson Guhle finished with 35 saves and Cody Carlson handed out three assists as the Pats won the opener of their five-game swing through the U.S. Division.
"We are judged by our results," said Pats coach Curtis Hunt. "We have played well on the road, we just haven't gotten the results we wanted. We are starting to finish. This is a good win against a first-place team, and that's good for our morale."
The Pats got all their scoring out of the way in the first two periods, and Tri-City avoided the shutout when Sergei Drozd redirected a shot by Jarrett Toll at 10:10 of the third.
"They have a good power play and the atmosphere here is phenomenal -- this is a hostile place -- but we weathered the storm," Hunt said.
Jordan Weal scored just 2:22 into the game for Regina, ending Tri-City goalie Drew Owsley's scoreless stretch of 89:01.
Brett Leffler gave the Pats a 2-0 lead at 9:59, taking a backhanded pass from Eberle at the top of crease and knocking the puck past Owsley.
Mitchell gave Regina 3-0 lead, skating inside on Tri-City defenseman Brett Plouffe and slipping the puck in at the left post on the power play.
The onslaught continued in the second as the Pats scored three power-play goals in the first 9:37 of the period.
Eberle and Weal each scored in the first 8:13 of the period, finding an open net behind Owsley for easy goals. After allowing five goals on 16 shots, Owsley was benched in favor of Brett Martyniuk.
Martyniuk didn't fare much better, allowing a goal by Colten Teubert on the first shot he saw at 9:37.
Tri-City had ample opportunities to score, outshooting the Pats 36-24, but errant passes and missed chances around the net had the Americans' offense in disarray throughout the game. And their vaunted power play, ranked third in the league, was booed by the fans as they finished 0-for-9.
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Ams skate past Regina 6-1
Ams skate past Regina 6-1
KENNEWICK -- It takes a special breed of player to play on the checking line.
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Game Day: Regina at Tri-City
Game Day: Regina at Tri-City
Tonight is the final installment of Thanksgiving hockey. The Regina Pats are in town for the only game between the teams this season. The Americans already have beaten Portland Swift Current this week.
The Pats are at the end of their U.S. Division swing and will return home after the game. They are 1-2-0-1 during their trek south of the border.
Regina is led by Jordan Weal, who has 12 goals and 25 assists (37 points). He has points in 22 of his 24 games. He had a 16-game point streak end Wednesday in Seattle. Weal, a third-round pick of the L.A. Kings in 2010, is signed by the NHL club. Weal played every game the last two seasons, and has missed one game this year (healthy scratch on opening night).
Ams fall to Kamloops in first-place battle
Ams fall to Kamloops in first-place battle
KENNEWICK -- With first place in the Western Conference on the line, it was only fitting the game came down to a shootout.
Chase Schaber and Bronson Maschmeyer scored in the shootout to give the Kamloops Blazers a 4-3 victory Saturday over the Tri-City Americans before a rowdy announced crowd of 5,131 at Toyota Center.
"A great game between two of the top teams," said Tri-City forward Brendan Shinnimin, who had a goal and an assist. "I thought we had a chance to win. We had a lot of opportunities in the third. Their goalie stood on his head, and they beat us in the shootout.
Ams win streak at 11 with 5-0 win over Moose Jaw
Ams win streak at 11 with 5-0 win over Moose Jaw
KENNEWICK -- In a battle between division leaders, the Tri-City Americans defended home ice Wednesday night in a tilt against the East-leading Moose Jaw Warriors.
Ty Rimmer had 42 saves, and Brendan Shinnimin and Jordan Messier each had two goals to lead the Americans to a 5-0 win over the Warriors before an announced Toyota Center crowd of 3,598.
The Americans (30-7-0-0), who lead the U.S. Division and Western Hockey League with 60 points, set a franchise record with their 11th consecutive win. They also have won 11 in a row on home ice.
Americans beat Chiefs 4-1 on road
Americans beat Chiefs 4-1 on road
SPOKANE -- The Tri-City Americans got off to a hot start and led wire-to-wire in handing the Spokane Chiefs a 4-1 loss Saturday night before an announced crowd of 9,856 at Spokane Arena.
"I thought we played very well," Tri-City coach Jim Hiller said. "It's the best game our group of defensemen have played all year. We did a good job of having numbers back and our blue line not giving them easy entries."
The Americans (12-5-0-0) held on to the top spot in the U.S. Division with 24 points. The Portland Winterhawks also have 24 points, but Tri-City has three games in hand.
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