Connor Bedard wasn’t about to settle for a ho-hum victory on the night his Regina Pats ended their playoff drought.
The third-year Pats star had three goals and two assists as his team wrapped up a post-season berth with a 7-3 road win over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday.
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It will mark Bedard’s first — and likely only — WHL playoff appearance. The playoffs were cancelled because of COVID-19 in his rookie season before the Pats missed the post-season last year.
Bedard — who now has nine hat tricks on the season after his second three-goal game in a row — has 69 goals with three games remaining in the season.
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The 17-year-old, who capped the hat trick on Saturday with an empty-netter, has notched 14 points in his past three games.
The Pats haven’t made the playoffs since they lost in the 2018 Memorial Cup final as hosts.
Bedard is expected to go No. 1 overall in this year’s NHL Draft.
BEDARD’S SEASON TOTALS: 54 GP, 69 G, 70 A, 139 Pts.
PATS’ RECORD: 33-28-4 (Sixth in the Eastern Conference)
UP NEXT: The Pats are in Saskatoon to face the Blades on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT — and it’s a hot ticket.
The Blades are expecting close to 15,000 fans for their first sellout in franchise history.
Saskatoon hosts the Pats again on Friday — and there’s a good chance the Saskatchewan rivals will meet again in the first round of the playoffs.
Source: News