Warriors Split Opening Weekend

The weekend started off great for the Moose Jaw Warriors with a 4-3 overtime win in their home opener, but ended on a sour note as the Broncos took the rematch in Swift Current, 7-1, on Saturday night.

Assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe says there was a lot of learning done in Saturday's loss to the Broncos, "I thought we played OK.  I didn't think we played bad at all for the first few periods, we had some bounces that didn't go our way, but I thought we gave it a pretty good effort overall.

"We were doing the little things right, but it's a learning experience for us.  Some guys got more ice time than they did in the home opener and that's good.  It's their first time playing back-to-back in intense games and you've got to take the learning aspect of it and move on."

Even though the weekend might not have ended the way the team was hoping, Vandenberghe says there is plenty for them to build off heading into a full week of practice, "I think we did a lot of things right.  We got pucks deep, our special teams was OK, we went to the front of the net and we stopped and we had some good sticks, but there's still some learning to do."

Which is expected with a team as young as the Warriors are this year.  Vandenberghe says it's going to take time before they can put together a great game night after night.

"We'll just keep going back to work and it's going to be the same process from now until the end of the season where we're just repeating and repeating and hoping it sticks in there."

The tribe gets a break from game action now until Friday when they head up to Prince Albert for their first meeting of the year with the Raiders.  Vandenberghe says the week break is good for the young team, "We have to have these weeks off early in the season because we're trying to teach a lot, we're trying to show these kids that this is how we're doing things and then they get to play on the weekend.

"A lot of these guys are young and they don't understand the riggers of playing in this league and going to school, they're still use to being kids, so it's a learning process."

Justin Paulic got the start in both games on the weekend, winning the season opener, but then getting pulled in the second period of Saturday night's loss after allowing five goals on 19 shots.  Daniel Wapple made one save on three shots the rest of the way.

Defenceman Travis Brown was the team's top scorer on the weekend picking up three assists in the two games;  Morgan Rielly and Justin Kirsch added a goal and an assist; and Brayden Point had two assists.

Kirsch missed the Saturday game in Swift Current as he awaits word on a suspension for his hit from behind on Broncos' defenceman Reece Scarlett, who was taken off on a stretcher after the awkward hit by Kirsch.  Scarlett tweeted on Saturday that he was doing fine after being taken to the Moose Jaw Union Hospital.  Defenceman Joel Edmundson is also awaiting awaiting word on a suspension from the home opener for a first period fight with Swift Current captain Adam Lowry.