It wasn’t the best outcome and it wasn’t the worst outcome for the Moose Jaw U13 AA Warriors in Sask AA Hockey League action on Saturday afternoon.
But it was a crucial point in the standings nonetheless.
The Warriors settled for a 3-3 tie against the Prairie Storm in Balgonie, improving to 4-5-1 on the campaign and moving a point ahead of the Regina Mustangs. They’ll have some work to do in the new year if they’re to get into the top seven in the South Division and have a shot at the league title, as they’re currently five points back of Lumsden for seventh.
The top seven teams at the end of the regular season in March play for the championship, the bottom six for the consolation title.
There’s a lot of hockey to go before then, though, and the Warriors were in a close one from start to finish Saturday.
After Landen Andrusiak scored for Lumsden and had the lone goal of the first period, things were all over the place in the second -- especially in a wild opening five minutes.
Carter Pilipow scored his eighth of the season to tie the game 36 seconds into the frame, but Kingston Dickie got that one right back for Balgonie only 38 seconds later, and 44 seconds after that Mason Dodd once again tied things up for the Warriors. The goal was Dodd’s first of the campaign.
Andrusiak then scored with 3:12 gone in the period to restore the Prairie Storm lead and quiet things down for a bit. That marker was his 27th of the campaign -- an absurd number in 12 games in any league, but not the best in the SFHL, as the Regina Blues’ Jagger Korol continues his ridiculous start to the season with 29 goals and 59 points in that same span.
The lead wouldn’t last the period, though, as Rylan Deichert potted his 10th of the season with one second remaining to send the two teams into the break tied 3-3.
After all that action, there was no scoring in the final period and the teams had their sister-kisser in the books.
Trip Kuntz had a stellar game in goal for the Warriors, facing 48 shots, including 20 in the first period. Moose Jaw had 27 shots on Balgonie’s Brody Ayotte.
Moose Jaw has one more game before Christmas, that coming on Thursday, Dec. 21 when the Regina Royals are in town. Game time is 7:45 p.m. at the Bert Hunt.
