MOOSE JAW -- The Moose Jaw Warriors have had many a roster with a ton of offensive potential over the years, but no team in the modern era has been able to accomplish what the 2025-26 crew did this weekend.
The Warriors scored six goals in the third period to take a comeback 9-7 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings in their home opener at Temple Gardens Centre on Saturday night, and while that in and of itself is impressive, they also hit rarified air in the process.
Not only is it the first time since the COVID bubble that Moose Jaw has won their first two games of the season, it also marks the highest number of goals they’ve scored on opening weekend in the modern era.
Combined with their 6-4 win on Friday, the Warriors have scored 15 , with the next closest total coming in the 2005-06 season when eventual WHL finalists would put up 14. That included a 9-3 win over Saskatoon in their second game -- also the only time in the modern era that Moose Jaw has scored nine in one of their first two contests.
Landen McFadden made his season debut in the Moose Jaw line-up and it was an impressive one as he scored twice and finished with five points to lead the Warriors in scoring.
That included the opening goal of the game, when McFadden picked up the puck at the blueline and evaded a trio of Brandon defenders before tucking a shot around Wheat Kings netminder Jayden Kraus 2:37 into the proceedings.
The rest of the period was largely uneventful -- outside of a brief tussle between Moose Jaw’s Brady Ness and Brandon’s Gunnar Gleasman midway through the frame -- until the final minute.
The Warriors had a handful of chances in the Brandon zone, including great scoring opportunities from McFadden and Ethan Semeniuk in a sign of things to come, but it would be the Wheat Kings who found the scoresheet.
A quick transition saw Brandon break into the Moose Jaw zone, and Jordan Gavin would corral a bouncing pass from Jaxon Jacobson before putting a shot top shelf glove side with 48 seconds to play.
That’s where things would stand after the first, with the Warriors outshooting the Wheat Kings 9-5.
Brandon didn’t take long to take their first lead of the game once play resumed. Caleb Hadland got off a shot from the high slot while using a Warriors defender as a screen and scored top shelf blocker side on Warriors goaltender Kyle Jones 53 seconds into the period.
McFadden had a chance to tie the game on a breakaway two minutes later, but Brandon immediately turned back up the ice on a three-on-one that led to Easton Odut scoring their third goal.
The Warriors received the first two power plays of the game at the 3:57 and 8:09 marks of the period, but despite a decent amount of control in the offensive zone, would be unable to find the back of the net.
Moose Jaw got one back with just over seven minutes to play in the second, and it was another pretty one.
Riley Thorpe took a feed from Owen Berge at centre ice and did the rest of the work himself, blowing past the Wheat Kings defence and putting a shot under the crossbar blocker side to make it a 3-2 Brandon lead.
The Warriors looked to have tied the game a couple of minutes later when Semeniuk poked a pass to the front of the net by Brady Ness through Kraus’ pads, but it was ruled the puck didn’t completely cross the goalline.
Moose Jaw kept up the pressure and would get one that counted not long after that chance.
McFadden sent a perfect backdoor pass from the point to find Nolan Paquette breaking in off the blueline, and his quick shot would make it a 3-3 contest with 4:07 remaining in the period.
The tie didn’t last long, though, as Joby Baumuller scored for Brandon on a shot from the right face-off circle that eluded Jones short side with 3:32 to play in the frame.
The Wheat Kings then restored their two goal lead with a power play marker with two seconds to play in the third. Luke Mistelbacher got off a shot from the point that Jones got a piece of and sent off the crossbar, only for the puck to bounce off the Warriors netminder’s back and into the net.
Matthew Hutchison took over in goal for Moose Jaw in the third period, but that didn’t stop Brandon from scoring another quick one to open the frame.
Grayson Burzynski got off a shot from the high slot that found the back of the net only 36 seconds into the period.
The rest of the frame was all Moose Jaw.
The Warriors got things started 30 seconds later when Semeniuk’s backhand in close found its way through a Pavel McKenzie screen and between Kraus’ pads.
That kicked off a stretch of play where Moose Jaw was able to work the puck on the cycle and create a handful of chances, leading to their next goal.
McFadden was the beneficiary of some decent puck movement in the Brandon zone, eventually taking a pass in close from Semeniuk and lifting a shot over Kraus’ blocker with 5:13 gone in the period.
Moose Jaw then completed the comeback two minutes later, with McKenzie outduelling a defender along the boards before sending a pass backdoor for a wide open Casey Brown, who’d fire into the open net for his third goal of the season to make it a 6-6 contest.
The Warriors just kept coming, and they’d strike again 3:03 after Brown’s marker. Kash Andresen showed some great puck control before finding McFadden with a pass in the high slot, and he’d elude a defender before sending a cross-crease pass to McKenzie for the go-ahead marker at the 10:56 mark.
Colt Carter then made it a two-goal lead with Moose Jaw’s fifth-straight third period goal, putting home a shot from the right face-off circle with 5:31 remaining in the game. McFadden drew an assist for his fifth point.
A Warriors penalty late in the game would see Brandon pull the goaltender for a 6-on-4 and they’d capitalize quickly, with Nicholas Johnson jamming the puck over the line on a goalmouth scramble with 2:41 remaining.
There wouldn’t be a comeback, though, as a Brandon penalty would lead to Owen Berge scoring on a redirection with 58 seconds remaining.
That’s where things would end up, and Moose Jaw would have their impressive win.
McKenzie matched his career single-game high with a goal and four points, while Semeniuk had a goal and three points and was a team-best plus-four. Paquette, Carter and Berg all finished with two points apiece, while Aiden Ziprick had a pair of helpers.
Burzynski had three points for Brandon, Giorgos Pantelas picked up three assists.
Jones stopped 17 shots through two periods, Hutchison had 17 saves in the final 20 minutes. Kraus stopped 28 for the Wheat Kings.
The Warriors are now off until Saturday, Sept. 20 when they host the Swift Current Broncos, with puck drop at 6 p.m. at Temple Gardens Centre.
