The Regina Pat Canadians scored three goals in each of the second and third periods on their way to a 7-2 victory over the Warriors at Mosaic Place on Thursday night.
The loss was the lone blemish on the Warriors’ record through the exhibition campaign as they finished with a 4-1 mark, good enough for third-best in the league.
Regina’s Cal Caragata opened scoring on the power play with 4:33 remaining in the first period, capping a period that saw the Pat Cs outshoot Moose Jaw 10-2.
The Warriors were able to rebound in the second and generate a handful of scoring chances of their own, but Cole Gordon, Jackson Smith and Jerome Walker all scored for Regina in spite of the increased pressure by the home side to give the Pat Cs a 4-0 lead through two.
Zach Cain and Hunter Degelman extended the lead to 6-0 before the Warrior were finally able to get on the board, with Caelan Fitzpatrick scoring on the power play at the 10:05 mark.
Connor McGrath picked up Moose Jaw’s second marker with 6:52 to play, but Walker closed out scoring a minute later to make the final score 7-2.
Chase Coward and Dylan Ernst split time in goal for the Warriors, turning aside 13 shots each. Drayden Ramage and Jackson Taupert stopped 24 shots for Regina.
The Warriors will now have a week off before heading north for the regular season-opening Warman Showcase, where they’ll take on the Tisdale Trojans on the morning of Sept. 27 and Saskatoon Blazers on Sept. 28. Moose Jaw’s home opener is Oct. 5 when they host the Blazers (1:30 p.m., Mosaic Place).
