Pats lose in WHL championship Game 5, return to Regina for Game 6

The Regina Pats are returning home this weekendin hopes of tying up the Western Hockey League championship series against theSeattle Thunderbirds.

The Regina team lost Game 5 of their best-of-seven series 7-4 Friday night, giving Seattle a 3-2 series lead.

"I think the big thing is we have to stay out of the penalty box," said Pats head coach John Paddock in a post-gameinterview on the WHL website. "It's really simple."

Power plays galore

Seattle made the most of their home-team advantage on Friday night. The Pats started out strong at the ShoWare Center in Washington, with two goals by the 3:17 mark.

The sold-out crowd of 6,223 erupted only a couple minutes later when the Thunderbirds answered the Pats with a puck in the net. They followed up with a matching goal during their second productive power play of the game.

In the second period, Dawson Leedahl restored Regina's lead on a power play, but Thunderbird Keegan Kolesar didn't let that lead sit for long, tying the game 3-3.

On another power play, Mathew Barzal took Seattle to a 4-3 lead.

Seattle wasn't done after the intermission, scoring two more times to start the third period. Regina had one last goal in them, but it wasn't enough to end the game in their favour. To secure the win, Seattle finished the game with one more point on the board.

Last chance for the Pats

The Thunderbirds now havethe opportunity to claim the 2017 WHL championship title on May 14 at the Brandt Centre in Regina.

As for the Pats, they are faced with tying up the series, but will at least get the chance to do it at home.

If necessary, Game 7 will also take place in Regina.

If they win on Sunday, the Thunderbirds will take home their first WHL championship in the franchise's 40-year history.