The final weekend of 2016 opened on Friday night in Brandon where the Moose Jaw Warriors were dealt a narrow 4-3 overtime loss by the Wheat Kings during the first half of their home-and-home.

Jayden Halbgewachs, Tristin Langan and Nikita Popugaev all scored in the loss for Moose Jaw, who held a 3-2 lead early in the third period, but Tyler Coulter tied the game and Reid Duke won it in overtime for Brandon.

These two sides will meet again on Saturday night to wrap up 2016 at Mosaic Place.

In the opening minute of Friday’s game, the Warriors burst up the ice and across the Brandon line, setting up a trailing Matt Sozanski for a shot, Sozanski was unable to put the puck on the net and the Wheat Kings were able to catch the Warriors with too many players up ice, as they converted on a stretch pass to Conner Gutenberg in the neutral zone.  Gutenberg was kept to the right circle by the Warriors’ defenceman, the Wheat King forward was able to get a shot away that snuck between the pads of Brody Willms to give the home team a 1-0 lead 47 seconds in.

Moose Jaw kept attacking throughout the period as they utilized their speed to create chances off the rush, as well, they were aggressive along the Brandon boards on the fore-check and that “grind time” gave them extra attack time.

With just over three minutes left in the first period, Noah Gregor intercepted a Wheat Kings’ clearing attempt inside their zone, Gregor set up Popugaev in the left circle where he drilled in his 22nd goal of the year to even the game at one.

The see-saw battle continued in the second period as both teams were able to create a number of scoring chances only to be turned away by goalies Brody Willms and Logan Thompson.

Just passed the midway point of the second and on the power play, a Warriors pass along the Brandon blueline went off a shin pad and then carried the other way in the neutral zone, Wheat Kings 20-year-old Tyler Coulter pounced the puck and rushed up the ice where he snagged a shorthanded goal to break the tie.

The Warriors line of Luka Burzan, Dakota Odgers, and Langan kept the Wheat Kings pinned inside their zone with just over six minutes left.  They were able to force the puck to the blue-line for Jett Woo, who quickly slid the puck over to his partner Dmitri Zaitsev, who let a quick wrist shot go that was deflected by Langan in front of the net for his third goal of the year that evened the game at two.

The Warriors took their first lead of the game at 4:42 of the third period, when Sozanski made a hard pass through the middle of the neutral zone to spring Halbgewachs who scored his WHL-leading 31st of the year on the breakaway.

However, the lead was short lived as just under two minutes later a Coulter wrist shot from the top of the left circle found its way over the goal line to even the game at three.

Both teams had chances to end the game in regulation, but neither was able to convert.  A big moment came with just under three minutes left when Ty Lewis was given a penalty shot, but was turned away by Willms.

As the teams moved to overtime both teams searched for their opportunities.  With 29 seconds left in the extra period, a Warrior slap-shot from the blue-line went right in to the shin pads of Duke, the puck carried back into the neutral zone where Duke led an odd-man rush for the Wheat Kings and then wristed a shot to the back of the net for the game winning goal.

Brandon outshot the Warriors 42-27 in the game, Moose Jaw was 0-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.

This weekend home-and-home series shifts back to Moose Jaw on Saturday for the final game of 2016.  Catch all the action on Country 100 starting with the  Westrum Lumber Timber Mart Pre-Game Show at 6:40 p.m.