Pats Will Stay In Regina For Playoffs If....

With the Western Hockey League playoffs just 3 weeks away, the Regina Pats are in the heat of the battle for the final playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference. With the Pats home arena not available due to the Men’s World Curling Championships; they have been forced to look for an alternative location to play their opening round home games should they qualify for the 2011 WHL playoffs.

The Regina Pats are pleased to announce that if they do qualify for the WHL post season, they will not travel away from their great fans, they will instead play the opening round series as close to the Brandt Centre as possible at the Co-operators Centre on the grounds of Evraz Place. The seating capacity is only 1278 plus standing room. The limited tickets will first be made available to their over 3000 Regina Pats season ticket holders; any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public 24 hours prior to puck drop.

Games 3 and 4 of the WHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series are tentatively set for Tuesday, March 29th and Wednesday, March 30th.

Regina Pats President, Brent Parker, “While we would rather be playing in our own building playing in the Co-operators Centre at least gives us the opportunity to play at home in front of our fans with minimal disruption of our players schooling and our day to day operations. We had other options outside the city that quite frankly would have been better financially for us but we felt that should we qualify for the playoffs it was imperative for us to do everything we could to be in the city.”

Regina Pats General Manager, Chad Lang, “We understand that playing in the Co-operators Center creates some challenges for both our fans and sponsors, however we understand the importance of playing in Regina. Remaining in the queen city is beneficial for all parties including our media partners, corporate sponsors and most importantly our loyal fans. The Co-operators Center is a venue that will generate tremendous atmosphere and will be an exciting venue for everyone involved.”

Pats season ticket holders are urged to visit the Pats office in the west lobby of the Brandt Centre as soon as possible in order to facilitate assignment of the limited number of seats. The office will expand their hours starting at the March 11th home game against the Moose Jaw Warriors. On game days, the Pats office will stay open until the completion of the 2nd intermission.