By TERRY PUGH
The Warman U18AAA Wildcats dropped a couple of close games by identical 4-3 scores over the weekend, losing at home to the Estevan Bears on Saturday, November 1 and on the road in Regina on Sunday, November 2.
Despite the back-to-back losses, the Wildcats still have a solid grip on fourth place in the 12-team Sask Male U18AAA Hockey League (SMU18AAAHL) with a record of 7-4-0-0, behind Regina, Moose Jaw and Swift Current.
The Wildcats started the scoring in both games, but weren’t able to hold off the opposition in the third period on both occasions.
In Saturday’s game, Warman’s Cash Arcand-Vandale gave his team an early lead early in the second period, with helpers from Declan Borthwick and Sam Failler. But the Bears roared back in the third period with three straight goals by Rhys Petersmeyer, Dylan Brass and Brendan Jones.
Warman’s Dawson Gamble scored his first of the season midway through the first period to make it a one-goal difference, but Gunner Moore restored Estevan’s two-goal lead with just over two minutes left in regulation.
Warman’s Delcan Borthwick scored with about a minute left in the game, with assists from Dade Wotherspoon and Colton Vedress, but despite a strong push, the Wildcats weren’t able to tie things up before the final buzzer.
Warman goaltender Jacob Appleby stopped 22 of 26 shots, while Estevan netminder Evan Hutcheon stopped 18 of 21.
The Estevan Bears’ Brendan Jones, who hails from Warman, had a strong game with a goal and an assist. As of November 3, Jones has a total of 13 goals and 6 assists for a total of 19 points so far this season.
In Sunday’s game in Regina, Warman once again got off to a hot start, this time thanks to two first-period goals by Weston Kostiuk (assists from Dawson Baht and Nixxon Arcand-Vandale) and Dawson Gamble (assist from Cash Arcand-Vandale).
But, once again, the opposition scored three goals in a row. Riker Doka in the first period, Malaki Martin in the second frame, and Nathan Gardiner midway through the third.
Cash Arcand-Vandale tied things up for the Wildcats with about three minutes left in regulation, but Regina’s Nathan Gardiner scored his second of the game at the 19:04 mark to put Regina back on top for good.
Goaltender Seth Gutenberg was solid between the pipes for Warman, stopping 28 of 32 shots, while Adam Muntain of Regina stopped 32 of 35 shots.
The Wildcats host the Tisdale Trojans on Wednesday, November 5; and then take on the Swift Current Broncos in back-to-back games at home on Saturday, November 8, and Sunday, November 9.