Through his first two playoff games in the Western Hockey League, Braydon Buziak’s face is showing the wear and tear that comes with playing at this time of year.
The Battleford product and rookie forward for the Regina Pats already has stitches on his face after getting clipped by a high-stick from his teammate and he had gauze in both nostrils Saturday after getting cross checked in the face by a member of the Calgary Hitmen.
“I’m sure a couple more will come in the future, but hopefully nothing too serious will happen,” Buziak said.
Despite a few battle scars, Buziak is enjoying things with the top-ranked team in the WHL this season, as the Pats hold a 2-0 lead over the Hitmen in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series after a pair of wins at the Brandt Centre over the weekend.
“We did the little things right at home and hopefully we can do that again in Calgary over the next couple of days,” Buziak said following his team’s 5-1 win in Regina Saturday. “If we can do things like getting pucks in deep and back checking hard all game, we should do well in the playoffs.”
Although this is his first year in the WHL, Buziak did get 10 games of Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff experience a year ago with the Battlefords North Stars.
“I got to experience the physicality that happens at this time of the season, and that’s something you really can never get enough of,” Buziak said. “The guys in this league are stronger and faster so you have to be more aware here of where guys are on the ice.”
The 19-year-old had 15 points in 55 games for the Pats in the regular season, which put him behind Nick Henry and Filip Ahl in the team’s rookie scoring stats.
“I’m really happy with how things have gone for me and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the future here,” Buziak said.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve, especially when it comes to my fitness level. Having the speed to win those one-on-one battles is something that I’m constantly working on.”
With the two leading scorers in the league (Sam Steel and Adam Brooks) on their roster, the Pats enter the WHL playoffs as the favourites to win their first championship since 1980.
“The passion from the fans here has been amazing and they are behind us all the way here in Regina,” Buziak said. “Everyone here’s excited for the playoffs, especially since we’ll be hosting the Memorial Cup here in 2018.
“If we play Moose Jaw or Swift Current in the next round, it’s going to be a really intense series and I think it’s only going to build from here.”
While his main focus is on his current role with the Pats, Buziak has been keeping an eye on how the North Stars are doing in the SJHL playoffs.
“I had a chance to listen on the radio when they beat Weyburn last week and I’ve been keeping up with the scores online,” Buziak said.
“It’s great to see them doing well and I’ll be trying to watch them as much as I can here in the next few weeks.”
The Pats will be back in action Tuesday night in Calgary as they travel to the Scotiabank Saddledome to face the Hitmen.
