MOOSE JAW -- The Moose Jaw Mustangs will be facing the Prince Albert Predators for the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League junior championship this coming weekend.
The Mustangs advanced to the title series on Saturday, July 5 with an 11-6 win over the Swift Current Wolverines and will host the opening game of the PGLL Final on Saturday, July 19 at the Kinsmen Arena.
Moose Jaw went into the semifinal game as the favourite after posting a 9-3-0 record and finishing in second place in the regular season standings, while the Wolverines were 5-7-0 and earned their playoff spot by a single point over the Regina Chaos.
Things were close in the early going of the contest, as Moose Jaw took a 4-3 lead out of the opening 20 minutes, but that all changed in the second period. The Mustangs would score four unanswered goals for an 8-3 lead and then added two more early in the third for a 10-3 advantage before the Wolverines mounted a bit of a comeback.
Ryder Gilroy led Moose Jaw’s offence with four goals and six points, while Lukas Salikin added two goals and five points. Braxton Mac Angus scored twice, while Jacob Gyman, Cooper Bruce and Riley Bender all had single markers. Kysen Mac Angus and Chase McKee had three assists each, Boone Bender added two helpers.
Isaac Froese and Ryder Turko each had a pair of goals for Swift Current, Grady Henderson and Riley Schafer scored one apiece. Shane Cornelson and Paul Piche had two assists each.
The championship series will be a tough nut to crack for the Mustangs, as the Predators put together an absolutely dominant season, finishing with an 11-0-1 record and outscoring their opposition 212-86.
That included a pair of wins over the Mustangs, with a 21-14 victory on June 7 in Prince Albert and 19-3 win on June 15 in Moose Jaw.
Game 1 of the PGLL Junior final is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Kinsmen Arena, with the series reverting to Prince Albert for Game 2 on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at the P.A. Kinsmen Arena. If the series is tied after Game 2, an mini-game will be played immediately after to determine the PGLL Junior champions.
