The Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors got off to exactly the start they hoped for in Game 1 of their Sask Male AAA Hockey League first-round playoff series with the Regina Pat Canadians.
An impressive first period saw the local crew take a 1-0 lead against their favoured opponents while doing exactly what they needed to do -- find a way to deal with Regina’s high-scoring top line.
And while they were able to largely get that job done from start to finish, penalty trouble and a touch of secondary scoring from the Pat Cs turned the game in the second period, and Regina would go on to 4-1 victory.
As a result, the Pat Canadians will have a one-game-to-none lead when the series reverts to Moose Jaw on Monday night.
The Warriors were able to put the second-best power play in the league to work midway through the first period, and Bryce Boughen would make it count, giving Moose Jaw their early lead at 9:01 of the opening frame.
Moose Jaw also came into the game with the league’s top penalty kill in the regular season at 86.9 per cent, but the Pat Cs would get a couple of goals on the man advantage early in the second.
Eli Johnson tied the game with a power play goal with 7:17 to p[ay in the period and after the Warriors took another penalty immediately after that goal, Regina’s Ellis Mieyette scored with 6:24 remaining to make it a 2-1 Regina lead.
Steven Steranka and Casey Brown picked up assists on the second marker, the only time in the game the high-scoring first-line trio connected on a goal.
Josh Sivertson increased Regina’s lead to two with 3:23 to play in the second, giving Regina three goals in a span of 3:54 and a 3-1 lead through two.
Steranka then capped scoring in the contest with 1:02 gone in the third period.
Luke McKechnie got the start for the Warriors and turned aside 28 shots, while Taylor Tabashniuk had 31 saves for Regina.
The Warriors were 1-for-7 on the power play and had three straight chances in the third to get back into the game but were unable to score. Regina was 2-for-6 with the man advantage.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is set for Monday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Puck drop is 7:45 p.m.
