The Moose Jaw AAA Warriors did what they had to do on Monday afternoon against the Tisdale Trojans
Now they just have to wait and see not only where they finish in the standings, but who they’ll face in the playoffs.
The Warriors scored four times in the second period and had tons of scoring chances throughout the game on their way to an 8-1 victory in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action at Mosaic Place.
The win saw the Warriors become the first team in the 12-team league to wrap up their regular season, as they capped the campaign with a 26-17-0-1 record. That moved them into a three-way tie for fourth place, with the Prince Albert Mintos having one game left in their regular season and Regina Pat Canadians five games remaining on their schedule.
Before that sorts itself out, there was the business at hand on Monday, and the Warriors did what they had to do against a five-win, last-place Trojans side that’s just playing out the string.
“It’s tough getting up for games like that, but we've got a good group of guys in there and they knew what was on the line,” said Warriors assistant coach Carter Davis. “They played well, they got the job done and those were two important points.”
Warriors leading scorer Rowan Calvert and team captain Jake Britlz got things going for Moose Jaw with a pair of first-period goals, and Conner Miller made it 3-0 7:55 into the second.
The Trojans still had pride to play for, though, and Warriors goaltender Ryan Bain had to be sharp in the mid-portion of the period to keep things close. He ended up with 17 saves in the frame, a good portion of those on solid scoring chances in tight that preserved his shutout.
Ashtyn Shields broke through for Tisdale with a power-play goal with 3:21 to play, but all that seemed to do was make the Moose Jaw skaters angry -- Blake Betson, Austin Woodley and Daxin Peterson all scored in the final 2:49 of the period to give the Warriors their 6-1 lead.
It was Jonah Marshall’s turn to shine in the final frame, as he scored his first two goals of the season at 7:24 and 16:08 to close out scoring.
Bain finished with 38 saves on the afternoon, the Warriors fired 50 at Tisdale’s Cody Wilson.
Now, with all 44 regular-season games out of the way, the waiting begins.
The Warriors could finish anywhere from fourth to sixth in the standings, with the teams around them also having plenty of room for movement as they wrap up their seasons.
With some teams seeing their campaigns extending into the first week of March, it’s a matter of keeping the Warriors fresh and ready for whenever the post-season begins.
“We’ll be getting a little break here, but having some momentum heading into the playoffs is huge,” Davis said. “The hardest part of the year is right now, when we’re playing the waiting game and keeping these guys engaged and ready to go. I think they're gonna be excited for what playoffs start, but it's that time in between where we got to make sure that they stay sharp.”
Be sure to follow www.smaaahl.com for the latest scores and updates in the coming weeks and keep an eye on www.moosejawtoday.com for the latest on the Warriors’ playoff opponents.
