from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

If the goal of the Heritage Classic was to try recapturing the scene, emotions, spirit and feelings that come with pond hockey, it worked.

“I never grew up playing in an atmosphere like this, but it feels right,” said American-born Matthew Tkachuk of a snow globe scene at Mosaic Stadium that had 33,518 Pil-swilling fans soaking up the Canadiana.

“It feels like that’s what hockey should be and what legends of the past grew up playing. You hear all the greats talk about growing up playing outside.

“With the snow causing the ice to be slower, you’re falling, you’re losing the puck, bounces all over the place – you knew it was going to be a low scoring game.”

He wasn’t done.

“What a great time it was,” he continued.

“What a great host in Regina. The ice was perfect, the fans were into it. Overall it was a perfect experience.”

This, coming from a player on the losing side.

continued

Watch the game highlights of Winnipeg's 2-1 OT win below.