It was just another night for the best junior hockey player on the planet.
Yes indeed, Connor Bedard lived up to the hype.
Much to the chagrin of most of the folks who made up the largest Prince George Cougar crowd ever, a record that dates back 28 years, a chock-a-block sellout CN Centre audience that numbered 6,027 watched Bedard make all the difference for the Regina Pats in a 5-1 win Friday over the Cougars.
The 17-year-old North Vancouver native scored two goals to add to his league-leading point total that’s now reached 59, and Bedard easily could have had a whole bunch more. He used his sixth sense and exceptional vision to find teammates with pinpoint passes and his balance on blades cut the ice in ways that left the Cougars befuddled.
“I think that was probably our best game of the trip overall,,” said Bedard. "You never know what to expect when you’re on the bus for eight hours and you come here for the last game in B.C., and that was awesome from our group.
“We’re super-proud of that win. We knew they were a good team coming in and that’s a huge one. I thought we took it to them.”
The fans got into the game early and by the third period they were doing the wave. Bedard’s presence on the ice and his ability to dominate games is selling out arenas wherever the Pats play. He said he and his teammates fed off the big Cougar crowd.
“It’s just exciting out there to hear them,” said Bedard. “Whether it’s boos or cheers, it’s exciting. It definitely give you energy and we love it when we’re back home and we get some big crowds.”
In case you missed seeing Bedard in what is likely his one and only appearance on Prince George ice, that’s too bad. The fire commissioner would have had case on his hands if they printed any more tickets. Bedard will be one of the central figures playing for Team Canada in a few weeks at the World Junior Championship in Halifax.
Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb’s worst fears were confirmed watching Bedard strut his stuff on the ice.
“That was pretty special, not only he hit a few posts and his shot that everybody seen, but his edges and his hockey sense, some of the passes he made tonight were Bedard-like, I guess,” said Lamb.
“That’s why he’s rated Number 1 and that’s why he deserves to be Number 1. This guy has got a lot of things. Another thing you seen was his high hockey IQ. Some of the plays he’s making, he’s not looking, he’s looking it off, it’s behind his back. It’s high-end special stuff. The goals this guy is scoring at this level, he’s going to score them at the next level.”
Bedard had two great scoring chances in the opening period. He stripped the puck away from former Pats teammate Cole Dubinsky and raced in alone with the puck from the far blueline, but Young shot out his skate to make the stop on Bedard’s low shot. He came close a couple minutes later on a shorthanded break when he tried to bank in a shot from a sharp angle off the arm of Young.
The Pats started the second period on a power play and Bedard made his opponents pay, like he’s done so often this season. Right out of the Auston Matthews playbook of slick deception, Bedard used Keaton Dowhaniuk as a screen and dragged the puck into his body as he rifled a high wrister in over Young’s blocker. It was Bedard’s league-leading 25th goal in 27 games and it gave Regina a 3-1 lead.
Caden Brown staked the Cougars to an early lead but the Pats took care of that not long after with consecutve goals from Tye Spencer and Tanner Howe, on a power play, to close out the first period.
Bedard's second of the night came in the third period and it started out with an innocent-looking play when he carried the puck into the Cats zone on a 2-on-2 rush. But nothing’s harmless to an anxious goalie when Bedard has the puck on his stick in shooting range and from the left circle he wired in another wrister to Young’s far side for a 4-1 lead. Easton Armstrong spun a low shot in from just outside the crease just over a minute later to complete the scoring.
Asked how he’s perfected his quick-release shot, Bedard says he just tries to imitate what the pros do.
“I think just watching Matthews videos, I’m a bit of a nerd,” said Bedard. “I think I would do that and then try to copy him in my back yard. For me it’s always been about doing what I love and getting to play hockey every day is a lot of fun.”
Bedard might have even had his second hat trick of the eight-day, five-game BC Division tour if not for a slashing penalty to teammate Parker Berge that was whistled down just as Bedard uncorked another wrister that beat Young to the stick side.
“He could have had seven, and I thought Young did have an answer, he was our best player,” said Lamb.
Pats goalie Drew Sim also played well and came to the rescue six minutes into the second period with the Pats on the power play leading by a pair when Carlin Dezainde stole the puck from Bedard at the point and took off on a 2-on-0 break with Caden Brown. Both Cougar forwards got shots away on Sim from close range but couldn’t beat him.
Sim got rocked by a hit early in the second period when Dubinsky got a little overanxious taking the puck to the net and flattened the goalie, which earned the former Pats forward a charging major and game misconduct. Sim went on to make 30 stops on the night to improve his record to 9-5-1.
The Cats went 0-7 on the power play and were unable to generate many quality chances with the extra skater.
“I think it’s just biproduct of the whole game,” said Lamb. “When you don’t have that jump your 5-on-5 play isn’t there and it kind of moves into your power play. You’ve got to have that 5-on-5 mentality on your power play and we didn’t have it. The game was flat.”
The Cougars (13-11-0-0) lost their second straight to remain fifth in the WHL Western Conference. They’ll start a six-game roadtrip Sunday afternoon in Langley against the Vancouver Giants.
Regina (13-12-1-1) won their fourth of five games on their trip through B.C. and they rank sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Pats finish off their trip Sunday in Edmonton.
Friday WHL summary
Pats 5 at Cougars 1
First Period
1. Prince George, Brown 7 (MacAdams ) 1:42
2. Regina, Spencer 7 (Ginnell, Suzdalev) 4:50
3. Regina, Howe 17 (Valis, Svozil) 13:56 (pp)
Penalties – Ginnell Reg ((hooking) 9:34, Eastman PG (cross-checking) 12:31, Eastman PG (kneeing) 19:31.
Second Period
4. Regina, Bedard 25 (Suzdalev, Svozil) 0:20 (pp)
Penalties- Dubinsky PG (charging major, game misconduct) 2:11, Spencer Reg (high-sticking) 6:18, Feist Reg (fighting), Singer PG (fighting) 10:27, C.Vaughan (fighting), Dumanski PG (instigating, fighting) 12:14, Berge Reg (slashing) 19:47.
Third Period
5. Regina, Bedard 26, 13:12
6. Regina, Armstrong 8 (Feist) 14:47
Penalties – J.Vaughan Reg (tripping) 4:46, Dowhaniuk PG (slashing) 7:09, Bateman Reg (slashing) 10:42, Brown Reg (hooking) 14:58.
Shots on goal by
Regina 13 8 8 -29
Prince George 8 12 11 -31
Goal – Regina, Sim (8-5-1-0); Prince George, Young (7-3-0-0).
Power play – Reg: 2-5; PG: 0-7.
Referees – Chris Crich, Mason Stewart; Linesmen – Tyler Garden, Blair Scott.
Attendance – 6,027.
