UPDATED: Popple scores OT winner, Warriors down Brandon in East Division opener

A year ago, seeing a team come back from a two-goal deficit in the third period would have been enough to send a young Moose Jaw Warriors team into a tailspin.

But this isn’t last season, and the Warriors appear to be a much more resilient bunch in the 2021 campaign.

Case in point, Friday night’s campaign opener in the Regina hub.

Tate Popple scored his second of the game 1:07 into overtime to give the Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first WHL game played in the East Division in over a year.

“I think in those situations last year, we might have lost in regulation by one or two goals,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary in describing the team’s mentality this time around. “But we’re a resilient bunch, we picked ourselves up and just got back to work. Now there are just little moments in the game where the tide can turn, but generally speaking, the momentum never got away from us too much for long stretches and overall, for the first game back after a long off season, you have to be happy with that.”

The Warriors carried play much of the first 10 minutes, but it was Brandon who would strike first as Ben McCartney redirected a shot point shot from Ridly Greig past goaltender Boston Bilous. The first goal of the East Division hub schedule was scored with 7:18 gone in the opening frame.

Brandon had a solid opportunity to take control of the game late in the first when Nolan Jones was hit with a cross-checking minor seconds after losing his helmet, giving Brandon a four minute power play.

The penalty issues were exacerbated 55 seconds into the second by an interference penalty to Riley Krane, putting the Warriors down two men for over a minute, but Brandon was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

A little over two minutes later, Cade Hayes finally broke through with the Warriors’ first goal of the season -- and a beaut to boot, driving wide on the Brandon defence, riding the goal line and lifting a shot over Brandon goaltender Ethan Kruger’s pad to tie the game 1-1.

The Warriors received their own two-man advantage with 9:13 gone in the second, when with Nate Danielson already in the box for Brandon, Ridly Greig cross-checked Brad Ginnell into the end boards and received a five minute major. The WHL would later suspend Greig three games for the hit.

Unlike the Wheat Kings, the Warriors were able to strike quick -- Popple found the puck during a scramble in front of the net during the five-on-three, taking a 2-1 lead with 11:35 to play in the period.

Eric Alarie then made it 3-1 with 7:42 remaining in the second, finding himself alone at the side of the net and putting a quick shot past Ethan Kruger with 53 seconds remaining in the Greig major.

Seeing the team respond in such away to the Ginnell hit was a positive in O’Leary’s eyes.

“I think there are little opportunities, little moments in the game where if you want to, you can take advantage of it, whether it’s a little turnover where you put it in the back of the net or a big-time power play for a long stretch that you make sure you make it count,” he said.

“I know we weren’t happy with the hit, but the best thing you can do is put a couple in the net and our group did it. That goes a long way, this group is real tight off the ice and I think you saw this shows they’re real tight on the ice and they’re playing for each other.”

It was Bilous’ time to shine early in the third, as he turned aside three golden shorthanded scoring opportunities -- including two breakaways -- to maintain the 3-1 lead.

The kind of bad luck familiar to Warriors fans last season reared its head on the Wheat Kings’ second goal at the 10:14 mark of the third, as Braden Schneider’s shot from the point bounced high off the glass, back over the Moose Jaw net and off Bilous right to Brandon forward Jake Chaisson, who knocked it home to make it 3-2.

The Wheat Kings then tied the game just over two minutes later with Schneider’s first of the season.

That set the stage for Popple, who would break down the left side on the three-on-three in overtime and beat Kruger with a shot five-hole to give the Warriors the win.

It was the kind of game that brought lots of entertainment to the Brandt Centre right off the hop, and one that O’Leary was happy to see finally take place.

“It was a whole lot of excitement,” he said. “I think the smile came off my face a little bit in the third period when they tied it up, but other than that it was ear-to-ear for most of the game. It feels good to be back behind the bench and I know the players are feeling really good to be back on the ice and competing.”

Alarie finished the game with a goal and an assist, while Ginnell picked up a pair of helpers.

Bilous made 19 saves to earn the win, the Warriors fired 31 shots at Kruger.

Moose Jaw was 2-for-4 on the power play, Brandon 1-for-6.

The Warriors are back in action on Sunday when they take on the Prince Albert Raiders, with game time at 8 p.m.