It’s starting to become apparent early on this Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League season that the Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors are going to be a tough out regardless of how things go in a game.
And while they might have taken their first loss of the campaign on Saturday night, they sure made things interesting in the process.
The Warriors fell behind 4-1 after the first period but steadily clawed their way back into the game, pulling within one after the second period and scoring late to keep pressure on the Legionnaires before an empty net goal secured a 7-5 Swift Current win.
Moose Jaw fell to 2-1 with the loss and sit in third place in the SMAAAHL.
The contest was a special one as it was a rare regular-season neutral site game, with the two teams taking the ice at the Southland Co-Op Centre in Assiniboia.
Swift Current couldn’t have gotten off to a better start in the contest, as four straight goals in the span of just over eight minutes staked the Legionnaires to their early lead.
Mason Fauser (4:38), Porter Nickason (7:31), Tristan Mitchell-Mcelhone (10:58) and Will Kirwan (12:43) all scored before the 13-minute mark.
Keaton Lesperance would get one back for the Warriors before the period was out, and the second period would be a completely different story, Brennan Brown and Chase Peterson scored 29 seconds apart early in the period to pull the Warriors back within a goal heading into the third.
The final frame was a back-and-forth affair. Fauser gave Swift Current a two-goal lead 1:27 into the frame, but on the ensuing shift, Jonah Pinel would once again make it a one-goal game, scoring 27 seconds later.
Jace Egland restored the two-goal lead for the Legionnaires at the 9:18 mark, and there things would remain until Peterson scored his second of the game on the power play with 2:29 remaining.
The Warriors would press for the tying goal, but Fauser capped his hat trick with an empty-netter with 25 seconds remaining.
Ryan Bain got the start for the Warriors but was replaced after 10:59 of work after giving up the first three goals on five shots. Luke McKechnie made 17 saves the rest of the way.
The Warriors fired 32 shots at Swift Current’s Jacob Morris.
The WINMAR Warriors will look to get back in the win column on Friday night when they host the Prince Albert Mintos. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
