The Home Hardware Midget AAA Legionnaires used a two-goal second period to tackle the Moose Jaw Generals in a 3-1 win Friday night.

Both offences were stymied in the first 20 minutes, as a 0-0 game was carried into the first intermission.

"In between the first and the second period we really stressed that we get the first goal," said Legionnaires' defenceman Lucas Ochitwa. "In this league, we feel that it's a huge thing to get that first goal, get the momentum going for you, and just roll with it. After you get the momentum it's very hard to lose it."

It didn't take long into the second for the Legionnaires to do just that, as 2:15 into the middle frame, Jacob Piller buried a puck on the power-play to take the 1-0 lead.

That score would last until the final three minutes of the period when Owen Ozar scored his eighth goal in his last nine games to increase the lead to 2-0 after 40 minutes.

Not to be out-done on the offensive end, forward Mason Strutt opened the third period with his fifth goal in the last four games. The goal came 19 seconds into the final frame and was the Legionnaires' second power-play goal of the game.

That 3-0 lead sealed the win, as Moose Jaw's only goal in the game came with just 0.9 seconds left on a Skyler Sangster shot.

"I really liked our game tonight," said Legionnaires' head coach Darren Evjen. "I thought we were really good off the puck, offensively and defensively, we had a good pace through the 60 minutes."

It was a good execution of the game plan according to Evjen - something his blue-liner was pleased with as well.

"Defensively we did really well tonight," Ochitwa noted. "We really stressed that in the dressing room before the game that we come back, and forwards back-pressure, d-men cover the front of the net, make sure that everybody is cleared out, nobody is getting sticks on the puck. So I think that we executed that really well until the last two seconds obviously when there's a 2-on-0. But you know what - that's hockey, stuff happens right?"

Goaltender Cody Levesque stopped 24 of 25 Generals' shots, earning a shutout through 59:59 of the game.

"I thought I played pretty solid, I didn't think I let out many rebounds and I kept it in pretty close. Overall I thought it was a pretty good game," Leveque shared while adding that to the theme of steady defensive play in front of him.

"They played really solid in front of me - I thought they made some good plays getting the puck out easy, they were keeping them to the outside. Those are kind of easy stops for me when they're keeping them to the outside."

The Legionnaires welcome the Beardys Blackhawks to Swift Current Sunday afternoon in their last game of league play before a break for the Mac's AAA Tournament, which starts Boxing Day.

Looking to set the tone ahead of the prominent tournament, Evjen explained that Sunday's game against Beardys will be a key step in that process.

"Absolutely, we've got to build for this tournament. We know Beardys will be a good team - they're very well coached. They'll come in, they'll play a good strong game, and we have to be ready. We want to be making steps and springboard into that Mac's tournament ready to play."

The Legionnaires (15-9-0-3) and Blackhawks (9-11-2-2) face off at 1:45 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex.