As every team in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League has found out at one point or another this season, regardless of where someone sits in the standings, they’re still always a threat.
So despite having 12 more wins on the campaign than the Estevan Bears, the Moose Jaw Warriors found themselves fighting tooth and nail to pick up points out of a two-game weekend set on the road.
They’d rally for a 7-6 shootout victory in the opener on Saturday before dropping a 3-2 decision Sunday.
Moose Jaw is now 23-14-0-1 on the season and sit three points back of the Regina Pat Canadians for fourth place, one point up on the Saskatoon Contacts.
Warriors 7, Estevan 6 SO
The Warriors trailed 4-1 by the 33-second mark of the second period, but as been the case in many of their outings lately, that was just a temporary inconvenience.
A four-goal second frame -- including three goals in a two minutes span in the latter half of the period -- got Moose Jaw back into things, and they’d go on to pick up the shootout win.
Rowan Calvert continued to hold a hot hand, scoring the go-ahead goal with 5:36 remaining in the game, and after the Bears tied things up two minutes later, scoring the only goal in the shootout.
Jake Britlz scored the Warriors’ lone goal in the first period, while Grady Hoffman, Blake Betson, Wyatt LaCoste and Liam Fitzpatrick scored in the second, sending the teams into the third tied 5-5.
Ethan Fechter made 37 saves to earn the win, Ryan Bain had four saves in five minutes of relief work.The Warriors had 42 shots on Estevan.
Estevan 3, Warriors 2
The rematch 24 hours later took a similar pattern -- an early Estevan lead followed by a second-period Warriors comeback.
The only difference this time is there were no late-game heroics for Moose Jaw, as the Bears scored with 5:18 remaining in the game to secure the win.
Fitzpatrick and Hoffman scored for the Warriors, who trailed 2-0 after the first and were tied 2-2 through two.
Bain went the distance in goal and faced 27 shots, while his teammates fired 46 at the Bears.
The Warriors are back in action Thursday, Feb. 10 when they host the Notre Dame Hounds. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
