2015 TELUS Cup

GLADIATORS, PAT CANADIANS COMBINE FOR FIVE ON PP IN TELUS CUP TIE

DAVID BRIEN

RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP, Que. – Cameron MacLeod had a goal and an assist for the Newbridge Academy Gladiators, Arthur Miller and Conner Chaulk had the same for the Regina Pat Canadians, and the two teams finished their preliminary round schedules at the 2015 TELUS Cup with a 3-3 tie Friday.

The game didn’t mean anything for the final standings; the Pat Canadians had already locked up first place, while the Gladiators knew they’d be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Riley Woods had the other goal for Regina, while Brett Thorne and Johnny Foley joined MacLeod on the scoresheet for Newbridge Academy.

Both teams relied on the power play offence; five of the game’s six goals were scored with the man advantage.

Woods got the scoring started just past the 15-minute mark of the first period, snapping a shot past Gladiators goaltender Matthew Williams, but Thorne answered seven minutes into the second to send the game to the intermission tied 1-1.

It marked only the second time Regina hadn’t scored multiple goals in the first 40 minutes, and the first time Newbridge Academy had reached the third period without having allowed multiple goals.

The Gladiators took their first lead two minutes into the final stanza when Tyler Brown’s failed wraparound attempt ended up on MacLeod’s stick for the only goal of the game scored at five-on-five.

The Pat Canadians’ power play, which finished the preliminary round with a tournament-leading 30% success rate (12 for 40), struck twice in quick succession to give Regina the lead again.

Miller made it a 2-2 game at 5:39, catching a rebound before dropping it to his stick and knocking in the tying goal, and Owen Sillinger set up Chaulk with a beautiful back-door pass at 8:02 to give the West Region champions the lead again.

Foley would be the hero for the Gladiators, squeezing a seeing-eye wrist shot through the five-hole of Regina netminder Curtis Meger to bring Newbridge Academy even and earn the Atlantic champions their lone point of the week.

Regina finished with a 32-30 advantage in shots on goal.

While the Gladiators’ season is done, the Pat Canadians are off to the semifinals; they will face the Toronto Young Nationals in Saturday’s first final four match-up (2 p.m. ET).