The St. Paul Jr. B Canadiens and Saddle Lake Jr. B Warriors split a two-game home-and-home series this weekend. On Sunday, the Warriors outplayed the Canadiens 5-0, and on Saturday the Canadiens squeaked by with a 6-5 win.
On Sunday, the Warriors’ Jordan Moosewah found the back of the net first, assisted by Josh Lapatak. Moosewah scored another goal before the end of the first, assisted by Patrick Gladue.
The second period went much the same way for the Warriors. Jared Cunningham scored a powerplay goal for the Warriors near the end of the second, assisted by the team’s captain Cole Steinhauer. Barry Partridge added another point less than a minute later, assisted by Myles Baptiste.
After a quiet first period, the penalties started adding up in the second. Following a couple minor penalties, the Warriors’ Lapatak took a 10-minute misconduct, and then a game misconduct was handed to the Canadiens’ Merek Lewis.
Baptiste scored the only goal of the third period, assisted by Gladue. A couple more game misconducts would be handed out before the end of the game to Brandon Kematch for the Warriors and Justin Dubeau of the Canadiens.
“Tonight was pretty bad for us,” said assistant captain Dubeau, following Sunday’s game. He noted a couple injuries on Saturday may have hurt the Canadiens on Sunday, but admitted, “It comes down to the guys we have on the ice … it’s just a matter of showing up.”
The team still needs to work on its defensive zone coverage, said Dubeau. As for penalties, the Canadiens “were undisciplined, that’s for sure.”
Considering it was the Warriors’ third game of the weekend and only the Canadiens second, “we should have been the ones coming out strong,” said Dubeau.
The Warriors’ goalie, Matt Johnson, “pulled up his socks tonight,” said Myles Baptiste, after Sunday’s shutout in Saddle Lake. “All our heads came together,” he added. “It was a good battle.”
Canadiens captain Tony Meger wasn’t impressed with the team’s play over the weekend, despite the win on Saturday.
“I still feel that we should be a better team,” said Meger, adding, “I thought we were flat both games.” And because of the rivalry between the two teams, Saddle Lake is always going to come out strong against the Canadiens, said the coach.
“We’ve got to become a more complete team,” said Meger, adding, players have to start trusting and believing in each other. As for injuries, right now the team “is depleted” and might be looking to add some defensemen to its roster.
President of the Junior B Warriors Winston Lapatak believes the Warriors are starting to “turn a corner.” The team recently released some of its players for not abiding by the team’s curfew and refusing to “conform” to what the team is trying to accomplish.
“It’s never an easy thing when you have to let skilled players go,” said Winston. But, in the end, the Warriors hope it benefits the team as a whole. Saturday’s loss to the Canadiens “kind of woke (the Warriors) up,” he added.
In a back and forth match on Saturday, the Canadiens came out on top for the 6-5 win. The first Warriors’ goal came early in the second from Cunningham, assisted by Steinhauer. The Canadiens matched it with a goal from Brandon Cantre, assisted by Dino Meger on a five-on-three powerplay. Tyler Couch gave the Canadiens the lead, assisted by Rylan Couch, less than a minute after the team’s first goal. The Warriors pulled Johnson from net and brought in Brandon Watchmaker.
The Warriors’ Partridge answered soon after with a goal to tie the game, assisted by Cory Moore. The Canadiens’ Dough Morin scored after the mid-point of the period, but Josh Lapatak tied it 3-3, assisted by Steinhauer.
Early in the third, the Canadiens’ Jordan MacWilliams scored, assisted with a pass from behind the net from Brett Blanchette. Soon after, another Canadiens goal gave the team the 5-3 lead, courtesy of Tanner Jaman with assists from Jelani Whitstone and Justin Funk.
Warriors’ captain, Steinhauer, got ejected soon after the Canadiens took the lead and received seven minutes in penalties for fighting and slashing. Just over a minute later, the Warriors’ Gladue got a game misconduct for checking Meger from behind, who was taken from the Canadiens bench on a stretcher by EMS personnel to the hospital. The two ejections brought the game total to three for the Warriors, with Kelvin Steinhauer getting ejected for checking from behind in the first.
Dino suffered some strained muscles in his neck and will be off the ice for up to 10 days.
“We’re very thankful it wasn’t anything structural,” said Tony Meger of Dino’s (his son’s) injuries.
The Warriors fought off the penalties and scored next on the powerplay after the mid-point of the third, courtesy of Partridge assisted by Cunningham. Cantre scored his second of the night with assists from Buddy Morin and Dough Morin to seal the win. While Josh Lapatak scored with just over a minute of play left, it was too little too late. The Warriors pulled Watchmaker but could not get the puck past Canadiens goalie Miguel Christensen.
The Warriors also faced the Thorhild Titans on Friday and lost 5-4.
“It was a tough loss,” said Baptiste.
