Winmar Warriors rebound with solid win over Contacts in Game 2

Best-of-five quarter-final SMAAAHL series tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Saskatoon

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 Warriros 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.

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Miller scored the lone Moose Jaw goal with 9:12 gone in the third period. Bain got the start and allowed three goals on nine shots in 18 minutes, giving way to Ryan Hicks, who stopped 20 shots the rest of the way.

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 in two days’ time.

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.

“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 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

Moose Jaw High School Athletes of the Month for February

The Wow Factor Media Moose Jaw High School Athletic Association Athletes of the Month for February are Xander Champion (back left, Vanier basketball), Aviana Tisdall (Briercrest Christian basketball), Payton Fisher (Cornerstone volleyball, basketball and curling), Bo Thiessen (Briercrest Christian basketball), Drew Biette (Cornerstone volleyball, basketball). Daxton Lugrin (Riverview archery), Dayne Heisler (Peacock curling), Molly McLean (Central basketball), Reise Bekar (Peacock curling), Kegen Riench (Riverview archery, basketball), Missing are Tommy Vincent (Central basketball) and Olga Ruberwa (Vanier basketball). Submitted

Dylan couldn’t quite stuff this puck home on a third-period Warriors power play.

Rhett Perrin then scored back-to-back goals six minutes apart 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.

Game 1 didn’t go as well for the local squad, as Saskatoon scored three times in the first and led 4-0 through two on their way to the comfortable 6-1 win.

“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.

Former Warriors head coach Stothers reveals cancer diagnosis

Anaheim Ducks assistant coach to enter treatment for stage three melanoma of lymph nodes

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Stothers will begin treatment soon for melanoma.

Stothers, 61, said Saturday that he has been diagnosed with melanoma of the lymph nodes. He is getting treatment at UCI Health, and he expects to have surgery soon.

Stothers said he intends to continue working during his treatment, and he does not plan to take a leave of absence. He received his diagnosis in February after noticing a growth near his groin.

“If I could share one simple message to all, listen to your body,” Stothers said in a statement. “If you notice something unusual, or don’t feel like yourself, consult a doctor immediately. Please do not wait. It could be the best decision you ever make.”

Stothers is in his second season as Dallas Eakins’ assistant with the Ducks. His three decades in coaching have been highlighted by a Calder Cup victory in 2015 during a successful six-year tenure in charge of the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire, and in Ontario, California.

“Mike is one of the toughest and finest people in hockey,” Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli said in the statement. “The Ducks organization and entire NHL community are firmly behind him. We also support and appreciate Mike’s message. For him to take the time to try and help others while dealing with his own battle says a lot about who he is.”