Riche Scores Twice, Warriors Win Season Opener

By @MJWarriorsFun (Twitter) / Moosejawwarriors_history (Instagram)

Your Moose Jaw Warriors made the short trip to Regina for the season opener against Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre. It was the first game of a home-and-away, two game series, culminating in a second game, on Saturday night, at home, in Moose Jaw.

Of the two teams, Moose Jaw is predicted to be the stronger club, however, the lineup they iced for this game was missing some of the club’s most talented players, who were all at NHL hockey camps.

The following is a list of Warriors not in action.

D Denton Mateychuk (Columbus)

C Jagger Firkus (Seattle)

LW Eric Alarie (Los Angeles)

D Max Wanner (Edmonton)

LW Martin Rysavy (Columbus)

D Jordan Cole (Calgary)

Regina’s coach, John Paddock, was behind the bench again. Paddock had missed almost three months at the end of the 2021-22 season due to a series of health woes including lymphoma and Covid-19.

Conor Bedard, the highly touted Pats prospect, made headlines earlier this week when he was selected as the Pats’ youngest Captain in franchise history.

Moose Jaw entered the ice with their new Top Gun inspired jerseys and candy apple red helmets.

There was no scoring in the first period, which was highlighted by consistent pressure from Regina and a few spectacular saves from Moose Jaw’s goalie Connor Ungar.

Atley Calvert got the scoring started 27 seconds into the second period, sniping the top corner of the net, over Pats goalie Koen MacInnes’ left shoulder, opening the offensive floodgates. Regina’s Cole Dubinsky got one back 20 seconds later, scoring from a miraculous angle.

Ben Riche scored twice, and was awarded the First Star in the Warriors opening game - photo courtesy Western Hockey League

Shortly after that, Connor Bedard broke out on a breakaway. He went gloveside on Ungar but couldn’t get the puck passed him.

The Pats did get the lead though, seven minutes later on a Tye Spencer wrist shot, from the point. Harper Lolacher and Thomas Tien then set up a nifty Josh Hoekstra back-hander a minute later as the Warriors levelled the scoring out, 2-2.

Tye Spencer scored his second of the game for the Pats, to put them ahead temporarily but Ben Riche got one back on the Power Play to end the 2nd period in a 3-3 tie.

The Regina crowd exploded halfway through the 3rd period when Borya Valis gave them the go-ahead on two-on-one but Moose Jaw’s Lynden Lakovic flattened that noise real quickly less than a minute later, tying things up yet again.

Just a couple minutes later Moose Jaw scored the game winner when Tate Schofer and Thomas Tien set up a Ben Riche wrister for his second of the game.

Moose Jaw took the win 5-4. Riche was awarded the games First Star. Tye Spencer was Second Star and Atley Calvert was Third.

The Warriors meet the Pats again, tonight at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. 7:00 PM start