By  Scott Fisher /

Who’s to blame?

That’s the big question in Regina these days.

With a stacked lineup that included Team Canada World Junior stars Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert, the Pats were expected to do more.

Much more.

The Pats were one of the pre-season favourites to rule the Eastern Conference.

Instead, they missed the playoffs.

After a miserable 27-39-1-5 season, the Pats find themselves looking around and wondering what went wrong.

First-year head coach Dale Derkatch is certainly on the hot seat.

But he shouldn’t be.

This team – the players – need to look in the mirror and admit to what they 
have done.

Or, more accurately, what they haven’t done.

Right-winger Brett Leffler gave his coaching staff a vote of confidence after the season ended much too 
prematurely.

“Especially when you lose, there’s going to be changes made,” Leffler told the Regina Leader-Post.

“It’s a business. I can’t really say what’s going to happen next year or which way they want to go. There are obviously going to be some new faces and there will probably be some faces gone. 
That’s hockey.”

But Leffler, who was third in team scoring with 33 goals and 57 points, and was second-highest on the team with a plus-11 in 64 games, said Derkatch and Co. should be given a second chance.

“I thought overall our coaches did a good job,” he said. “I have respect for them and I think everybody in our dressing room has respect for them.

“They put it on the line and unfortunately it came down to the players not putting out.”

How refreshing.

A player admitting that it is, in fact, the players who should be looking in the mirror.

As for Derkatch, there’s little doubt as to what he has in mind.

He wants to get back to work tomorrow.

“I wish next year was starting tomorrow,” he told the Leader-Post. “You can’t run away from the whole thing. The quicker we get at it the better. I want so bad to make it right.

“I hope I get the opportunity. There probably needs to be changes. I don’t know (what they’ll be). That’s not my area exactly. Obviously some things weren’t there that needed to be. There’s something missing. I don’t know what it is, but I’d like to help (find it). I’d like to help make things right, that’s for sure.”

PATS PIECES:
World Junior star Jordan Eberle was the big winner at the Pats’ year-end 
awards banquet.

The Edmonton Oilers first-round draft-pick was selected as the player of the year, the Hub Bishop most sportsmanlike player, Torchey Schell top scorer and Bill Hicke most popular player. He also was handed the Molson Cup three-star award. Other winners included Matt Delahey (top defenceman), Jordan Weal (Nick Papas rookie of the year), Garrett Mitchell (unsung hero), Victor Bartley (Mike Kartusch community service award) and Alex Pym (scholastic player of the year)...Bartley signed an amateur tryout contract with the Providence Bruins – the Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate ... Eberle is expected to join the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, the Edmonton Oilers’ AHL affiliate...L.A. Kings prospect Colten Teubert may be called up by the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs (L.A. Kings). The same goes for Delahey, a New Jersey Devils draft pick, who may join the AHL’s 
Lowell Devils.