The Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors have suddenly run into difficult times in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action, and with the playoffs coming up soon, righting the ship will be of utmost importance.
Especially after what they went through on Tuesday night.
A couple weeks after taking a 4-2 win over the Saskatoon Contacts in Saskatoon, the Warriors had little answer for their big-city opposition in the rematch, dropping an 8-1 decision at Merlis Belsher Place.
The contest was an opportunity for the Warriors to give themselves some breathing room in the eighth and final playoff spot, but they now find themselves in a battle for their postseason lives with four games remaining in the regular season.
The Warriors fell to 18-19-3-0 with the loss and are now tied with the Estevan Great North Bears for seventh place, a single point up on ninth-place Saskatoon. Estevan and Moose Jaw are also three points back of Tisdale for sixth, meaning a single winning weekend could make things far more comfortable for both teams.
As scheduling fate would have it, the Warriors are in Estevan for a pair of games this coming weekend, playing both Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
Tuesday’s outing was one to forget.
Both Jace Rask and Spencer Chestolowski had hat tricks on the night, with Rask scoring a pair in the first period and getting his third early in the second. Chestolowski picked up markers in each frame. Owen Chapman had a second-period goal and Rylan Hue scored in the third to round out Saskatoon’s offence
Gage Nagel scored the Warriors’ lone goal shorthanded with 12:13 to play in the game.
Luke McKechnie got the start in goal for Moose Jaw and allowed six goals on 28 shots over 32:33 of work, while Ryan Bain finished things off, allowing two goals on nine shots.
Logan Edmonstone stopped 24 shots for the win.
The WINMAR Warriors have two weekends left in the regular season, as after their set with Estevan, Moose Jaw is in Yorkton against the last-place Maulers during the Feb. 24-25 weekend.
The SMAAAHL playoffs are set to begin the first weekend of March.
