MOOSE JAW -- If Sunday afternoon’s contest between the Regina Pat Canadians and Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors is any indication of what their season series is going to be like, fans will be in for a treat indeed.
Regina’s Maddox Schultz scored four times, including a natural hat trick in the second period and the overtime winner as the Pat Canadians took a 5-4 victory over the Warriors in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action from Temple Gardens Centre in Moose Jaw.
That the game even got to a fifth period was the product of an impressive comeback by the Warriors, who scored twice in the final two minutes with the goaltender pulled to send things to overtime.
Moose Jaw remains unbeaten in regulation this season and improves to 3-0-1-0, good enough for first place in the 12-team league. Regina has also yet to lose this season and are tied for second with a 3-0-0-0 record.
The Warriors got on the board first in the contest, and it didn’t take long, as Maxon Johnston scored only 54 seconds into the game.
Nathan Gardiner got that one back for Regina with a power play goal with 3:58 to play in the period, but Tyler Hudec scored for Moose Jaw with 58 seconds left to make it a 2-1 game after the first.
The second period was all Maddox Schultz.
With Moose Jaw battling penalty trouble, Schultz scored on a two-man advantage with 9:23 gone in the frame, added his second of the game 58 seconds later and then made it a 4-2 lead with 1:21 to play in the period.
That’s where things would stand until the game’s waning moments, when the Warriors rallied to tie things up.
With goaltender Steven Wawryk on the bench for an extra attacker, Braden Nowoselski scored with 2:04 remaining in regulation and 20 seconds later Ryan Gibbs scored his first of the season to tie the game 4-4. The game was the first for Gibbs since returning to Moose Jaw from the Tri-City Americans.
Things would eventually get to overtime, and that’s where Schultz would strike again, scoring his fourth of the night and league-best sixth of the season 1:09 into the extra frame.
Wawryk turned aside 27 shots in taking the loss, while Ben Meyer had 29 saves to secure the win in goal for Regina.
The WINMAR Warriors are back in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Contacts, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. Regina next plays on Wednesday when they’re in Notre Dame to face the Hounds. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
