The Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors had more than their share of narrow losses through the first few months of the Sask Male AAA Hockey League season, but now the shoe is on the other foot.
Caleb Potter scored the game-winner 3:29 into overtime as the Warriors battled to a 4-3 victory over the Swift Current Legionnaires in league action at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Friday night.
The victory gives the Warriors wins in six of their last seven, with all six of those wins by two goals or less and four by a single goal, two in overtime. Moose Jaw is now 17-16-0-4 on the campaign and have moved five points clear of the Prince Albert Mintos for seventh place while sitting five points back of the sixth-place Warman Wildcats.
As the score would indicate, it was a close one right from the puck drop on Friday.
Parker Robinson opened scoring for the Legionnaires with a power play goal a minute into the proceedings, but Wyatt LaCoste would get that one back for Moose Jaw 46 seconds later.
Three minutes after that marker, Cobe Perlinger scored for Swift Current to give the visitors a 2-1 lead out of the opening 20 minutes.
Potter scored his first of the game 2:18 into the second before the Legionnaires’ Rylan Williams restored his team’s one-goal lead with a power play marker at the 8:23 mark.
That set the stage for Connor Miller, who scored his 20th of the season with 5:17 remaining in the second to tie the game and eventually send things into overtime.
There, Potter finished things off, with team scoring leader Liam Fitzpatrick and Jake Briltz drawing assists.
Fitzpatrick finished his day with two helpers and is now fourth in league scoring with 26 goals and 56 points in 37 games, four back of SMAAAHL leader Raiden Zacharias from the Saskatoon Blazers.
Ryan Bain enjoyed one of his best games of the season in the Moose Jaw net, turning aside 40 shots, while Jacob Morris had 31 saves for Swift Current.
The Winmar Warriors are right back in action on Sunday afternoon when they host the Saskatoon Contacts. Game time is 1:30 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
