MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Another weekend, another two wins for the Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors.
Only this time, it was on the road against an opponent right behind them at the top of the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League standings.
The Warriors took a 7-4 victory over the Prince Albert Mintos in Prince Albert on Saturday and followed up with a 4-1 win on Sunday, improving to 17-4-2 on the season and continuing to hold down a tie for second place with the Swift Current Legionnaires, a point back of the Regina Pat Canadians.
Prince Albert dropped to 14-8-2 and are in fourth place, now six points back of the Warriors after sitting two back heading into the weekend.
Warriors 7, Mintos 4
Moose Jaw couldn’t have asked for a better start in the weekend opener, as they built a 5-0 lead heading into the third period before staving off a late-game comeback by the Mintos.
Carson Deichert, Ryan Gibbs and Kierin Osberg all scored in the first period to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead before Osberg and Park scored in the second to make it a five-goal margin.
The Mintos weren’t about to go away quietly, though, and three goals in the first six minutes of the third made things interesting. Simon Garchinsky got Prince Albert on the board before Kelan Simmonds and Lincoln Rogers scored to suddenly make it a two-goal game.
Gibbs and Wade Franks scored with 5:10 and 3:25 to play to restore a comfortable cushion coming home, and Luke Senick would close out scoring for the Mintos with 47 seconds to play.
Gibbs racked up four points in the game and now has moved into second in SMAAAHL scoring with 20 goals and 37 points. Osberg (15-17-32) and Deichert (17-15-32) are tied for sixth.
Regina’s Maddox Schultz -- widely projected as the WHL’s next exceptional status player for the 2025-26 season -- leads the league with 22 goals and 45 points at 14 years old.
Luke McKechnie had 25 saves in the win, Jayden Blanchette stopped 35 in the loss.
Warriors 4, Prince Albert 1
Things were far closer in the early going of Sunday’s rematch.
The Warriors’ Keaton Lesperance and Minto’s Simmonds exchanged goals in the first period, and that’s where things stood until Osberg gave the Warriors the lead with 7:29 to play in the second.
Moose Jaw’s power play went to work in the third, with Park and Gage Nagel each scoring with the man advantage in the first 11 minutes to put the game away.
Osberg and Park each finished the game with two points.
Kaleb Page had a solid showing for the Warriors with 21 saves, Joshua Henry stopped 35 for Prince Albert.
Next action for the WINMAR Warriors sill see another first-place showdown with the Regina Pat Canadians, with the contest taking place on Wednesday in Regina.
Prince Albert is back on the ice Wednesday when they host the Prince Albert Mintos.
