Marc Smith/MJ Warriors

The Moose Jaw Warriors wanted to see where they stacked up against the CHL’s top team early in the season and came away with a positive result.

Brayden Yager scored twice and Connor Ungar made 26 saves as the Warriors handed the Winnipeg ICE a 4-1 loss at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Saturday night.

“We just played really fast, pushed their D back, used delaying and stuff like that to get ourselves more time to make plays and I thought we did a really good job,” Yager said.

Connor Ungar is just three games into his stint with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but the 20-year-old netminder is making a strong early impression.

Ungar stopped 40 of 41 shots on Wednesday night to lead the Warriors to a 3-1 win over the Saskatoon Blades at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“Without Connor Ungar in net, it obviously would have been a lot of different game,” Warriors assistant coach Gord Burnett said.

The Warriors picked up a goal in each period and Ungar stood tall throughout the night to ensure Moose Jaw walked away with two points.

Denton Mateychuk had a new addition to his jersey when he suited up in his first game of the season with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Mateychuk was named the 35th captain in Warriors’ franchise history after he returned to the team from training camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“It’s a huge honour, I’ve been here since I was 15 and loved every second of it,” Mateychuk said on Monday. “It’s an honour and a privilege and just going to do the best I can to be a leader.”

Sluggish starts to each period hurt the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night in Brandon.

The Warriors gave up goals in the first five minutes of each period and lost 4-1 to the Wheat Kings at Westoba Place.

“Brandon put a good game together, credit them, they were sitting here waiting and they were ready to rock and they made it hard on us all night,” Warriors assistant coach Scott King said.

“It’s early in the season, a lot of guys just coming back from camps, so we’ll be better as we move along here.”

It took a bit for the Moose Jaw Warriors to find their footing with seven players returning to the lineup, but the team clicked when it needed to on Friday night.

The Warriors scored three second-period goals and secured a 4-3 win over the Prince Albert Raiders at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“We started a little slow, I thought the game picked up after our first [penalty] kill in the second period, after that we started to find a bit of chemistry,” Warriors assistant coach Gord Burnett said.

The Moose Jaw Warriors couldn’t finish off the Regina Pats on Saturday night in their home opener.

The Warriors jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but allowed five unanswered goals in a 6-3 loss to the Pats at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“We definitely had the chances take control of the game, we just couldn’t put the puck home and we got some unfortunate bounces that didn’t go our way,” Warriors defenceman Lucas Brenton said.

One of the Moose Jaw Warriors’ team mottos is, ‘Circumstances don’t change standards,’ and the team lived up to that on Friday night.

Despite having six regulars away at NHL training camps, the Warriors leaned on its youth in a 5-4 win over the rival Pats in Regina.

“We talked about being a relentless group and tonight was a great example of that, down a goal a few times, but it didn’t change how we played,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said.

With a new look and a ton of returning talent, the Moose Jaw Warriors are aiming to make the 2022-23 Western Hockey League season one to remember.

“There’s an energy, there’s an excitement in the dressing room, but we also know that the time to perform is now — we’re not young and developing anymore, it’s time to go,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said.

The Warriors finished second in the East Division, had home ice advantage in the first round and advanced into the second round of the 2022 WHL Playoffs during the 2021-22 season.

Last season, 20-year-old goalie Carl Tetachuk was a big part of the Moose Jaw Warriors’ strong season.

The veteran goalie provided a safety net for the young squad throughout the season, helping them advance to the second round of the 2022 WHL Playoffs.

This season, the Warriors will be hoping for more of the same from another overage goalie, Connor Ungar.

Atley Calvert will have the opportunity to test himself against the pros over the next week.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward, and Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product, is heading to Buffalo to take part in the 2022 Prospects Challenge with the Sabres, starting on Thursday.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity,” Calvert said. “I like to think I worked for this my whole life and obviously, it’s one step in the right direction.”