Hockey combines the speed of basketball, the hard hits of football, and the glistening blades of competitive shaving. Study frozen fusion with this GrouponLive deal to see the Regina Pats play the Prince Albert Raiders at the Brandt Centre. For $19, you get two tickets for best-available seating on Thursday, December 13, at 7 p.m. (up to a $40 value, including all fees). Doors open at 5 p.m.
After a 2011–12 season that culminated in their first return to the Western Hockey League playoffs since 2008, the Regina Pats press forward in the new season, looking to surge past a difficult start. In an East Division shootout, the Pats host the division-leading Prince Albert Raiders, currently dominating their peers with a 13–6–0 record. Hoping to turn around their 9–12–1 start, the Pats look to rally behind the red-hot shooting of left wing Dyson Stevenson, who scored a hat trick in his most recent game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. On the other side of the ice, the Raiders' Luke Siemens—ranking among the league's top 10 puck blockers—guards the goal with brick-wall tenacity, a 0.919 save percentage, and the unerring ability to confuse charging shooters by pulling an endless string of scarves from his sleeve. At the game, fans can take advantage of the Thirsty Thursdays drink specials, nabbing 32-ounce beers for $8 to salve throats rubbed raw from cheering.
Regina Pats
When the Regina Pats slid out onto the ice in 1917, their sweaters read “The Patricias,” in honor of Princess Patricia of Connaught, and they had little tolerance for opponents who dared giggle at the name. Of the original teams in that early era, the Pats have had the last laugh, as they are the only ones still standing, making them North America’s oldest Junior Hockey franchise.
Since the days of horse-drawn zambonis, the Pats have taken several championships. They won the Memorial Cup in 1925, 1930, and 1974, and also took the Western Hockey League Championship in 1974 and 1980. In addition to preparing more than 100 players for careers in the NHL, the Pats have also sent the most athletes to play for Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships.