At a time of the season where wins carry all sorts of meaning, the Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors picked up a huge one on Friday night.
The Warriors scored a pair of goals in the third period in Tisdale and would go on to a 4-3 victory over the Trojans in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action, improving to 4-3-0-0 on the season.
The most important part of that record is where it puts the Warriors in the standings -- with eight points in their first seven games, the Warriors sit in third place overall, a point back of Estevan for second and two back of Regina for first.
As a result, they’re now in the top four in the league standings, which puts them in serious consideration for a spot in the Circle K Classic tournament in Calgary over the Christmas break.
The event -- formerly known as the Mac’s U18AAA Tournament -- features the top U18 teams from all over the country and beyond and is one of the most heavily scouted tournaments of its kind during the season.
Traditionally, the top four teams in early November advance to the event, beginning Dec. 27.
Things were exceptionally close in Tisdale through the first two periods, as the teams were scoreless through the first before Ryder Mucha gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead 4:59 into the second.
Kanyan Unger would tie the game with 54 seconds remaining in the frame, though, and the Warriors would carry that momentum into the final period.
Cooper Buhay scored what would stand as the game-winner on the power play 2:17 in and Dylan Duzan would add an insurance marker with 4:47 to play.
Luke McKechnie turned in a stellar showing in goal, turning aside 34 shots, while the Warriors fired 44 shots at Tisdale’s Dylan Twidale.
The two teams are right back at it on Saturday afternoon in Tisdale. The WINMAR Warriors will then have nearly two weeks off before their next game on Wednesday, Oct. 25 against the Swift Current Legionnaires at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
