Regina’s own Jake Briltz got the lone goal for the Moose Jaw WINMAR AAA Warriors on Saturday afternoon in a 4-1 loss to the Saskatoon Contacts.

Briltz’s performance earned him the first star of the game honours and his fourth goal of the season. Following the game, Briltz broke down his goal.

“I saw [Rhett] Perrin in the corner and was coming off the bench and I thought I would drive the third guy high,” says Briltz. “I saw an opportunity; I took it and it bounced to me and I buried it.”

The play started with excellent pressure from Perrin who worked hard along the boards and was able to get the puck to Briltz in front of the net for the goal.

“He protects the puck really well and kept his head up so when I was driving the net, we made eye contact and then I put it in the back of the net,” adds Briltz.

Goaltender Ryan Hicks made his sixth start of the season and made 29 saves in the loss.

“I felt all right and a couple of the goals I probably could’ve had to keep the boys in it, but overall, I think I made some big saves to help keep the team in it and keep the momentum changing,” says Hicks.

He wanted to give his team in front of him a lot of credit for the support they gave him on Saturday afternoon.

Saskatoon controlled the majority of the first period, as they held the Warriors to no shots through roughly the first 12 minutes of the frame. Moose Jaw would get their legs moving and had their fair share of chances but weren’t able to beat Contacts goalie Logan Edmonstone who made 30 saves in the win. 

The game was scoreless until late in the first period. On a Moose Jaw powerplay, Braeden Jockims was sprung on a shorthanded breakaway against Hicks. Jockims would hit the post, then the puck would deflect off the back of Hicks and trickle over the line to make it 1-0.

After 20 minutes it was Saskatoon with a 1-0 lead. The shots after the first period were 8-8.

Saskatoon would extend their lead to 3-0 in the second period. It all started almost nine minutes into the frame. Brodie Scopick would find a loose puck in front of the net and put it upstairs over the blocker of Hicks to make it 2-0.

Just over two minutes later Scopick would flip the puck up to Tyler Phipps springing him on a breakaway and he would put it five-hole on Hicks making it 3-0.

That’s how the second period would end. Saskatoon led in the shot department 17-16.

Though Moose Jaw would come out in the third period with a lot of intensity and put a lot of shots on the net, they couldn’t beat Edmonstone. With over five minutes left head coach, Trevor Weisgerber would pull Hicks for the extra attacker. Saskatoon’s Zach Moore would force a turnover in his own end and fire it down the ice for the empty net goal to make it 4-0.

The Warriors would end Edmonstone’s shutout bid with 1:33 left in the game after Rhett Perrin was able to find Briltz in front of the net and he wouldn’t miss beating the goalie and make it 4-1. Austin Woodley would pick up the other assist on the goal and his first point of the season. 

That’s how the game would end with the Warriors suffering their fifth loss in their last six games.

Moose Jaw would finish the game ahead in the shots 36-31. Neither team capitalized on the powerplay with Moose Jaw finishing 0/3, while Saskatoon went 0/1.

The loss drops the Warrior’s record to 4-6-0-2 and at the time of publishing remains in 8th place in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL) standings.

Moose Jaw will look to split the weekend as they host the Warman Wildcats at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.