MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- What is already turning into a pretty good season for Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors goaltender Luke McKechnie became that much more special on Saturday night.
McKechnie became the first Warriors goaltender in recent history to score a goal, as he tallied an empty-netter with five seconds remaining in Moose Jaw’s 5-2 win over the Battlefords Stars at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
“I don’t know, it was just kind of surreal,” McKechnie said in the Mad Greek postgame interview. “They shot it down and I knew immediately I wanted it, so I went and got it, and luckily the guy who came after me didn’t take it from me. I got it off just in time and I couldn’t see anything, but then everyone started jumping around me. It’s awesome.”
There were no such rarities in the rematch, but the result was much the same, as the Warriors took a 7-1 victory over Battlefords on Sunday afternoon.
Moose Jaw is now 15-4-1 on the season and remain two points back of the Regina Pat Canadians for first place in the Sask Male AAA Hockey League. Battlefords fell to 5-16-1 and sit in 10th place.
Moose Jaw 5, Battlefords 2
Before McKechnie did his thing, there was the majority of a game to be played, and it went well for the Warriors.
The Battlefords’ Kaden Sperle opened scoring 5:24 into the game, but Gage Nagel and Jonah Pinel responded before the period was out to give Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead.
Kierin Osberg scored the only goal of the second period to make it a two-goal game, and Carson Park added a power play marker 4:27 into the third period.
Waylon Gardipy got one back for the Stars midway through the period, and that set the stage for McKechnie’s goal, which looked like this:
While doing his regular job, McKechnie had 32 saves for the win, while Nicholas Grunerud stopped 36 for Battlefords.
Moose Jaw 7, Battlefords 1
It was an impressive outing for Maxx Fuessel in the rematch on Sunday afternoon, as the Warriors rookie scored his first career three-goal game in the commanding win.
Two of those goals came on the same double minor late in the first period, and he’d finish off his hat trick with 1:08 to play in the game.
Osberg and Maxon Johnston scored in the first half of the second period to make it a 4-0 lead before Kaegan Lowe got one back for the Stars on the power play with 6:02 remaining.
Carson Park then had goals just over two minutes apart early in the third to make things a foregone conclusion.
Nagel finished with three assists, while Osberg also had a three-point night. Carson Deichert and Charlie Nameth had two assists each.
Kaleb Page stopped 34 shots to earn the win, Luke Norman stopped 22 in the losing effort.
The WINMAR Warriors are back in action Wednesday when they host the Swift Current Legionnaires. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
