The Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors have suddenly become an absolute nightmare for teams in the Sask Male AAA Hockey League.
How else do you describe a team that just keeps finding a way to win, no matter what kind of a lead you might have on them at any point in a game?
The Warriors fell behind 3-0 to the Notre Dame Hounds on Saturday night but would steadily climb back into the contest, eventually going on to a 5-3 victory in Wilcox.
The win saw the Warriors extend their winning streak to five games and improve their record to 20-16-0-4, moving into a tie for sixth place in the 12-team league with Notre Dame. The victory also gives Moose Jaw wins in nine of their last 10 games, with eight of those by two goals or less and three coming in overtime.
Things were ugly between the two teams in the opening period, as the clubs combined for 11 minor penalties in the first 20 minutes. The Hounds were the beneficiaries of the first three power plays and would make each of them count.
Gabe Bugeaud, Antoine Lavigne and Danila Siriaev all scored on the man advantage in the game’s opening 11:48, and for all intents and purposes, the Hounds were off to the races.
Or they would have been, had they not been playing one of the hottest teams in the league.
Connor Miller got one back for the Warriors with a power play goal with 5:22 to play in the first and Liam Fitzpatrick would score the lone goal in the second as the Warriors clawed their way back within one.
That set the stage for the final period, and it was all Warriors.
Miller tied the game with another power-play goal 50 seconds into the proceedings, Grady Hoffman gave Moose Jaw their first lead of the game at the 8:06 mark and Fitzpatrick would finish things off with an empty-net goal with 51 seconds to play.
Fitzpatrick now has a league-best 32 goals on the season and has moved into a tie for the league scoring lead at 63 points with Saskatoon’s Raiden Zacharias. Miller and Hoffman find themselves tied for sixth overall as Miller has 22 goals and 51 points, Hoffman 18 goals and 51 points. Fitzpatrick has also extended his point streak to 16 games, dating back to Dec. 17.
After the tough start, Warriors goaltender Ryan Hicks was solid for Moose Jaw, turning aside all 17 shots he faced in the final two periods and finishing with 28 saves on the night. The Warriors had 34 shots on Mariko Bercier.
The Winmar Warriors are back in action on Wednesday night when they host Notre Dame. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
