Last weekend the Warman Wildcats U18 AAA team came away with two big home wins to end November in first place in the highly-competitive Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League.
On Friday, November 26 the Wildcats used a hat trick performance by home game star Connor Gabriel and an exciting shoot-out to defeat the Saskatoon Blazers 6-5 at the Legends Centre.
Head Coach Courage Bear was pleased with the win, but felt improvements were needed.
“The first two periods were really good. I thought we managed the puck,” said Bear. “The third period we just got away from that. That’s the lesson for our guys. That is something we need to shore up; being better in the third and managing the puck. Little mistakes are costing us.”
“Thankfully we came out on the right end of it tonight.”
The Blazers scored first on a power-play goal by Tyson Yaremko.
The Wildcats jumped out ahead on a pair of goals by Connor Gabriel. They increased their lead before the end of the first period when Brock Evans scored with 38 seconds left.
Connor Gabriel’s slapshot found the twine for his hat trick goal on a second period power-play.
Gabriel’s leadership on the ice drew praise from his coach.
“I’m happy for the kid because he works so hard every single day,” said Bear. “He is one of our best guys at both ends of the ice. He plays hard in the D-zone and has an offensive side. It was nice to see him rewarded.”
The Blazers battled hard in the third period. A pair of goals by Hudson Malinoski closed the gap and Roger McQueen tied the game with 2:46 left in the game.
Bear knew the opponent wouldn’t give up despite being down.
“They have a good team,” he said. “A lot of talent on that bench, and they are well coached. They found a way to claw back.”
A scoreless five minute overtime set up an epic shootout. Wildcat goalie Luke Brunen stopped seven Blazers shooters, allowing Wildcat captain Brody Mortensen to tuck the game-winner behind Blazers goalie Alex Garrett for the victory.
“It made it exciting for the fans and lots of shooters,” said Bear.
The following night the Wildcats came away with a 4-2 win over the visiting Notre Dame Hounds. Warman goalie Alex Worthington made 38 saves to earn home game star. Scoring for the Wildcats were Carsyn Dyck, Mason Bueckert, and a pair by Dustin Renas.
Antoine Lavigne scored a pair for the visitors.
The Wildcats are set to host the Battleford Stars on Friday, December 3 and the Estevan Bruins on Saturday, November 4. All games are at the Legends Centre with an 8 p.m. start.
