ASSINIBOIA -- It might only be the first two games of the exhibition campaign, but the Moose Jaw Warriors netminders already appear to be in mid-season form.
Warriors goaltender Josh Banini turned aside 43 shots and Moose Jaw would go on to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Swift Current Broncos in Western Hockey League pre-season action from the Southland Co-op Centre on Saturday night, giving the Warriors a two-game sweep in the weekend series.
It was the second straight game where Moose Jaw enjoyed a solid showing in net, after Cade Mitchell and Dylan Mingo combined for a 2-0 shutout win in Swift Current one night earlier.
The only goal the 19-year-old Banini allowed was to Anthony Wilson early in the second period, after which he was lights out the rest of the way.
“He looks like a guy ready for NHL camp,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said in an interview on Warriors social media. “He’s had a really good camp in terms of coming in with the confidence we know he has, but he was solid here tonight, he was a real bright spot for us. All through training camp he’s been really good and it was no different here tonight, he was the best player on the ice, I thought.”
As O’Leary alluded to, Banini heads off to Edmonton Oilers rookie camp this week.
The Warriors took no time to get on the board, as captain Lynden Lakovic -- who is off to Washington Capitals camp on Monday -- scored only 25 seconds into the contest.
Wilson got that one back at the 7:10 mark of the period, and that’s where things would stand the rest of regulation.
Connor Schmidt would then end things with a power play goal 57 seconds into overtime, with Lakovic and Owen Berge drawing the assists.
The Warriors finished with eight shots on Broncos starter Aiden Eskit and 11 on mid-game replacement Berney Weston.
“There are still more kinks to be worked out, that’s for sure,” O’Leary said in describing the overall contest. “I think I liked our effort once we got our legs underneath us in the second period, but the details and the execution weren’t there tonight. I thought it was much better last night, but again, that’s why you want to get these live bullets going here. We can work through video and work through those kinks, and we have patience for that, but at the same time it’s nice to win a hockey game.”
The contest was played in front of 711 fans at the Southland Co-op Centre, with the Warriors appreciating the support in their third pre-season visit in as many years.
“It’s great,” O’Leary said. “Coming to a place like this that supports so well and brings that energy that sometimes exhibition lacks, it’s a lot of fun for us and hopefully they had a good time, too.”
The Warriors made a series of roster changes on Sunday after the contest. Returning to their club teams are: Kash Elke (F, 2010-born), Dylan Mingo (G, 2010), Cade Mitchell (G, 2009), Ethan Fidelak (D, 2009), Preston Hoppe (F, 2009), Trevor Hill (F, 2008), Cole Dupuis (F, 2008) and Kasen Mateychuk (D, 2007).
