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Another five-point night from Connor Bedard wasn’t enough to help the Regina Pats clinch a WHL playoff spot Friday.
Bedard had three goals and two assists, but the Pats fell 9-5 to the Moose Jaw Warriors in front of 6,499 fans at the Brandt Centre.
The loss dropped the Pats’ record to 32-28-3-1, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They can still be caught by the ninth-place Swift Current Broncos (28-32-1-3), who lost 2-0 to the host Red Deer Rebels on Friday.
Regina can wrap up a playoff spot with a win, an overtime loss or a shootout loss Saturday when it visits Moose Jaw, or if the Broncos lose to the Rebels on Saturday.
Bedard recorded his eighth hat trick this season and his ninth game with at least five points. His 66 goals are the most by a WHL player in a season since Moose Jaw’s Jayden Halbgewachs scored 70 in the 2017-18 campaign.
Bedard opened the scoring at 8:01 of the first period Friday, but the Warriors scored the next six goals.
Tallies by Josh Koekstra (at 12:34 of the first), Ryder Korczak (14:14) and Jagger Firkus (16:04) put Moose Jaw up 3-1 after the opening frame.
Firkus (1:39), Martin Rysavy (6:10) and Atley Calvert (12:20) stretched the lead to 6-1 in the second before Bedard scored at 13:53 and again at 17:26 to cut into the advantage.
But Eric Alarie sniped at 17:47 and the Warriors took a 7-3 lead into the second intermission.
After Riley Ginnell got the Pats to within three at 7:15 of the third, Logan Dowhaniuk restored the Warriors’ four-goal lead at 13:32. Regina’s Alexander Suzdalev scored at 15:59 before Firkus completed the scoring — and his hat trick — at 19:40.
Brayden Yager had three assists for Moose Jaw, while Calvert, Korczak and Denton Mateychuk each had a pair of helpers for the winners.
Suzdalev, Tanner Howe and Stanislav Svozil joined Bedard in recording two assists for the Pats.
Jackson Unger made 21 saves in the Warriors’ net. Drew Sim started in goal for the Pats and was pulled at 6:10 of the second period after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Kelton Pyne came on in relief and gave up four goals on 26 shots.
