The Prince Albert Predators jumped out to a huge lead and never looked back on Sunday, beating the visiting Regina Barracuda 22-6 at the Kinsmen Arena.
Ten different Predators scored goals, led by Brayden Reiger who had five on the afternoon, while Dillan Cochrane chipped in with four goals and Hayden Ulriksen had three. Goaltender Duncan Fetch stopped 37 shots to secure the victory.
“We executed on ‘O’ in the first and third,” coach Tyson Fetch said after the game. “We played our game, and I don’t think they were ready for us.”
After surrendering a big lead against the Saskatoon Swat in their last home game on May 10, and nearly surrendering a big lead against Swift Current on May 8, the Predators hoped to prevent history from repeating itself. They did just that, holding Regina to just two third period goals, while scoring nine themselves.
“We tied Saskatoon last time, so we’ve got to be able to hold a lead,” Fetch said. “We ended up getting a couple guys back from university ball, and they make a difference on D.”
The outcome of Sunday’s contest was never in doubt, with the Predators pouring in 10 first period goals, including four in the final three minutes.
Matthew Cudmore opened the scoring at 16:29, with assists to Reiger and Cochrane, to make it 1-0. Caidyn Predicer made it 2-0 just 23 seconds later, followed by Cochrane’s first of the night at 13:11.
The Predators outshot their opponents 30-10 in the opening frame, and jumped out to a 10-1 lead by the first intermission.
“We won every faceoff except for three, I think, and that first period, we won every draw, Fetch said. “We picked up the loose ball and we controlled the play. If the other team doesn’t have the ball, they don’t score.”
The Barracuda mounted a small comeback in a penalty-filled second period that produced few goals, but plenty of scrums and fights. Braden Sewell completed his hat-trick for the visitors with two second period goals, and Koby Dmytriw added another. The Predators responded with three of their own, to make it 13-4 heading into the final frame.
“I thought in the second we got lazy and started playing their game,” Fetch said. “(It’s) a little rougher game with less skill, and that showed. They outshot us in the second, but getting a 10 spot right away—being up that early—was good.”
The Predators kept the Barracuda from scoring until 8:33 of the third period, but by that time Prince Albert had scored six more of their own, and built a 19-5 lead. Ulriksen iced the game with two goals in the final 10 minutes, while Cochrane picked up his fifth of the game to make the final 22-6.
The win puts Prince Albert at the top of the Prairie Gold Junior Lacrosse league standings with a 3-0-1 record. Regina falls to 1-3-1 on the season.
The Predators are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Saskatoon for a re-match with the Swat. Game time is 8 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena in Saskatoon.
Prince Albert’s next home game is Friday, May 27 against the Standing Buffalo Fighting Sioux. Game time is 8 p.m.