Seattle bests Pats in Game 1 with quick OT goal

It wasn't quite the ending the Regina Pats wanted in Game 1 of the 2017 Western Hockey League championship series against the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Just 14 seconds into overtime, the Thunderbirds finished off the game with a goal by Grenfell, Sask., native Donovan Neuls, giving them a 2-1 win over the Pats.

"It was tough," said Pats defenceman Connor Hobbsin a video posted to the WHL website. "Obviously it's a quick goal. Really good bounce for them at the start of the period.

"It didn't go our way."

Part way through the second period, Seattle's Turner Ottenbreit took Pats captain Adam Brooks down with a heavy hit in Seattle territory.

Brooks left the game and Robbie Holmes went after Ottenbreit. Both players sat two minutesfor roughing.

Brooks did not return to the game and the Pats were left without their captain.

With four-on-four, WHL defenceman of the year Ethan Bear shot the first goal of the 2017 WHL Championship Series for the Thunderbirds.

Bear, originally from Ochapowace First Nation in Saskatchewan,had a huge group of his family and friends in the crowd. While the Pats fans were silenced by the goal, his erupted.

"It's a pretty special feeling," said Bear. "I get a lot of support from my community and the other communities around the area."

• Ochapowace First Nation fans to pack Pats game to cheer on homegrown Thunderbirds star

In the third period, Bear was in the penalty box for hooking, giving Pats defenceman Connor Hobbs the opportunity he needed.

Hobbs tied up the game for Regina with less than eight minutes left in the period, finally getting past 17-year-old Thunderbirds goalie Carl Stankowski with 1:25 remaining on the power play.

Seattle failed to answer that goal in regulation time and the game was pushed into overtime.

More than 6,000 fans in the sold-out crowd had barely sat down for the much-anticipated OT period before Neuls scored, ending the game mere seconds into overtime.

"They played exactly how they were going to play," Pats head coach and general managerJohn Paddock told WHL reporters. "And the goalie was exactly as good as he looked in the games against Kelowna."

The Pats will work to tie up the series in Game 2 on Saturday night at the Brandt Centre in Regina.