MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- It was a bit of the good and a bit of the bad for the Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors in their Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League regular-season-opening weekend.
The Warriors took a 5-2 victory over the Swift Current Legionnaires in their home opener on Saturday night before dropping a 6-3 decision to the Legionnaires in Swift Current on Sunday afternoon.
Moose Jaw is back in action Saturday when they host the Saskatoon Contacts, while Swift Current travels to Tisdale to face the Trojans, also on Saturday.
Warriors 5, Swift Current 2
Moose Jaw scored three unanswered goals in the third period to snap a 2-2 draw and open the season on a high note.
Gage Nagel couldn’t have asked for a better start for the Warriors, picking up a hat trick with a pair of goals in the second period and their final goal in the third.
Ryan Gibbs and Hudson Sayers also scored for Moose Jaw, who led 2-0 after the first and 2-1 through two. Kierin Osberg had two assists.
Mason Fauser and Jace Egland scored for the Legionnaires.
Luke McKechnie had 25 saves to pick up the win in net, Evan Hutcheon stopped 28 shots for Swift Current.
Swift Current 6, Moose Jaw 3
A three-goal second period gave the Legionnaires a two-goal lead coming home, and that would prove to be crucial as Moose Jaw pulled to within a single marker in the third before Swift Current held on for the win.
The Legionnaires were up 4-1 in the third when Osberg and Maxx Fuessel scored to get back within one, but Swift Current’s Trae Peterson scored his second of the game with 3:30 remaining for insurance and Wesley Olson added a shorthanded goal with 20 seconds to play to close out scoring.
Egland, Porter Nickason and Will Kirwan scored for Swift Current in the second period, Gibbs had the lone goal in the first as Moose Jaw led 1-0 after one and the Legionnaires 3-1 through two.
Cade Mitchell stopped 37 shots for the victory, Kaleb Page had 30 stops for Moose Jaw.
