MOOSE JAW -- The last time the Moose Jaw Warriors won their first three games in regulation to start a Western Hockey League season, it’s safe to say they’d go on to have a pretty decent campaign.
With their 6-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night at Temple Gardens Centre, that’s exactly where things stand for the Warriors, leaving Moose Jaw a single win away from matching the best start in modern franchise history set by the 2005-06 edition of the team.
That crew would go on to win their first four contests and would end up in the WHL Final by season’s end. The Warriors also won their first three games -- two in a shootout and one in overtime -- to open the 2020-21 Regina bubble season.
As it stands, Moose Jaw is now the last remaining unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference at 3-0, though the Prince Albert Raiders hold down the Conference lead thanks to their 3-0-1-0 record.
Swift Current’s Connor Dale opened scoring only 3:31 into Saturday night’s contest, taking a feed to the front of the net from Noah Kosick on the rush and redirecting the puck into the Warrior net.
Warriors captain Lynden Lakovic -- who had been reassigned to the team by the Washington Capitals less than 24 hours earlier -- would score on a penalty shot just over five minutes later to tie things up and that’s where things would finish after the opening 20 minutes.
Moose Jaw product Gage Nagel then gave the Warriors a lead they would never surrender 6:20 into the second, breaking down his wing and putting a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle top shelf blocker side. The goal was the first of the former WINMAR Warriors standout’s WHL career.
Casey Brown then made it a 3-1 game with 36 seconds remaining in the second, and it was a pretty one. Ethan Semeniuk outduelled a defender in the corner and got a pass to the slot to Pavel McKenzie, who sent a pass back to Brown for the top-shelf one-timer. The goal was Brown’s team-leading fourth of the season.
The Warriors kept things rolling to start the third, with Colt Carter continuing his hot start to the season with a slick bit of stick work for his third goal of the campaign. The rookie defenceman dipsy doodled around a Broncos defender before tucking the puck around goaltender Aiden Eskit 2:08 into the period. The goal was Carter’s sixth point of the season, tying him for the scoring lead among defenceman and moving into third in rookie scoring.
Just over two minutes later, Lakovic struck again, this time on the power play. He’d take a feed into the corner from Aiden Ziprick before walking into the face-off circle and wiring a shot home for the 5-1 lead.
Noah Degenstein then closed out scoring on the evening, jumping on a turnover in the Broncos zone and slipping a shot under Eskit’s blocker with 8:43 to play in the contest.
Semeniuk and McKenzie each finished with two assists on the night and are tied for third in WHL scoring with two goals and seven points apiece.
Matthew Hutchison finished with 30 saves to earn the win in the Warriors goal, Eskit also had 30 saves in the losing effort.
The Warriors return to action on Friday, Oct. 3 when the Edmonton Oil Kings are at Temple Gardens Centre, with puck drop at 7 p.m.. Swift Current is also back in action on Friday when they host the Vancouver Giants, with game time 7 p.m. at the InnovationPlex.
