MOOSE JAW -- The Moose Jaw Warriors stepped on the ice and into a new era on Friday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
The contest marked the debut of the 37th captain in franchise history, as Lynden Lakovic became the latest leader to wear the ‘C’ when he returned to the line-up from a lengthy time off due to injury.
Lakovic, 18, had last taken the ice against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Dec. 28, where an innocent looking play saw the current team scoring leader go hard into the boards and suffer a shoulder injury.
Those very same Wheat Kings were in Moose Jaw on Friday, and the Warriors didn’t get the result they were hoping for, as Brandon scored three times in the first period and built a 5-1 lead before going on to a 6-3 victory in Western Hockey League action.
Moose Jaw fell to 11-36-4-2 with their sixth straight defeat and remain in 11th in the Eastern Conference, Brandon improved to 27-16-4-3 and could move into fifth place pending other results on the night.
The Warriors didn’t take long to get on the board, as Owen Berge hit the double digit mark in scoring for the first time in his career, netting his 10th goal of the season only 5:09 into the contest. Lakovic played set-up man on the goal and drew an assist in his first game back.
The rest of the period didn’t go as well for the Warriors as Brandon built their 3-1 lead.
Marcus Nguyen tied the game 2:38 after Berge’s marker before Matteo Michels and Jordan Gavin scored 39 seconds apart midway through the frame to make it a two-goal game after the first.
Nguyen then scored his second of the night 54 seconds into the second period and Nicholas Johnson made it a 5-1 contest with 8:42 gone in the frame.
That was the end of the night for Warriors goaltender Matthew Hutchison, who stopped eight shots in 20:54.
Nolan Paquette nearly got one back for Moose Jaw with five minutes left in the period, but his shot from the top of the left face-off circle would hit the post after eluding Brandon netminder Carson Bjarnason.
The Warriors would get back within three with 6:34 to play in the game. Ethan Semeniuk got a puck along the boards to the front of the net and Pavel McKenzie would bang home his 15th of the season to make it 5-3.
Lakovic then scored his first as the Warriors captain on the power play with 1:40 to play, ripping home a one-timer from Ethan Hughes.
Moose Jaw pulled Banini for the extra attacker after that goal, but Jody Baumuller would score into the empty net with 52 seconds to play.
Banini turned aside 16 shots in 38:50, while Bjarnason finished with 30 saves.
The Warriors are right back in action Saturday night when they rematch the Wheat KIngs in Brandon.
