Throughout their run of success in the second half of the Sask Male AAA Hockey League season, the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors proved to be the kind of team that found ways to bounce back from tough situations -- not only in-game but from night to night,
Game 2 of the SMAAAHL quarter-final on Sunday afternoon was just another example.
Only 48 hours after dropping a tough 6-1 decision in Saskatoon to the Contacts, the Warriors rebounded with a solid showing from start to finish, scoring three times in the second period and going on to a 6-3 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
The series is now tied at one apiece, with Game 3 slated for Tuesday, Mar. 7 in Saskatoon.
“It was just an all-around better effort, I think,” said Warriors head coach Trevor Weisgerber. “We played a much better game, in the first we were okay but in the second and third we played very well, we did what we need to do to win. Lots of little things, blocking shots, getting in lanes and playing above pucks, which we did a really good job of later in the game, and we limited them to not very much. Then offensively we created a bunch because we were doing those little things.”
Thing is, the Warriors weren’t all that much worse in Saskatoon, but the Contacts were just that much more opportunistic when it came to finishing off their chances.
“The first game, we played alright, we just had some breakdowns that cost us some goals, where we limited them today,” Weisgerber said. “Then when they did get a chance we were getting the save or a blocked shot, so it was really good to see.”
SMAAAAHL scoring champion Liam Fitzpatrick opened scoring 4:03 into the game Sunday, with Zach Moore replying for the Contacts to send the teams into the dressing room tied 1-1 after the first.
Rhett Perrin then scored back-to-back goals six minutes apart in the second to give Moose Jaw a 3-1 lead before Dylan Duzan made it a three-goal edge 38 seconds after Perrin’s second marker. Moore got one back for Saskatoon before the period was out, but the Warriors had taken control of the contest.
Rhett Ewen scored early for Saskatoon in the third, but Connor Miller and Ryder Knutson added insurance markers to eliminate any chance of a Contacts comeback.
Ryan Bain bounced back with a 33-save performance to earn the win, the Warriors had 24 shots on Logan Edmonstone.
Seeing his troops rebound from the Game 1 loss wasn’t a surprise to Weisgerber, and he expects to see more of the same when the teams are back on the ice Tuesday.
“This group has had resilience all year, especially from Christmas on,” he said. “We’ve been in playoff mode here since then just to get into the playoffs and for us to get up into sixth, we were pretty fortunate and it’s a sign of how well the guys played.
“It’s good to rebound after that loss in Saskatoon and now we’ll keep the momentum here and do whatever we can on Tuesday to get prepared and come out and get the win there.”
Game 4 is back in Moose Jaw on Thursday, Mar. 9 and Game 5 in Saskatoon on Saturday, Mar. 11.
