The Home Hardware Midget AAA Legionnaires closed the preseason out in style yesterday afternoon, downing the Saskatoon Contacts 3-2 in overtime at the Innovation Credit Union iPlex.

Defenceman Lucas Ochitwa put the Legionnaires on the board with the game's lone first-period goal.

The Contacts bounced back with a short-handed mark in the second, and took the lead one minute into the third period.

But, forward Christian Albertson tied the game back up midway through the third period, a mark that stood into overtime.

In the extra frame, an unassisted goal from forward Mason Strutt sunk the Contacts at the midway point.

"It's great, you know it's good to set the bar for the regular season, and try to keep it going into the regular season," Strutt said.

Goalie Jacob Herman stopped 32 of 34 Contacts' shots for the win in net.

The Legionnaires wrapped up the preseason with a 2-2-0-1 record.

They had losses to Moose Jaw and the Contacts to open the preseason, but rebounded with a win over Moose Jaw. The Legionnaires then fell to U-16 Team Sask in overtime on Saturday, before yesterday's win.

"I think what I've liked is the last two games we've really had a - for 60 minutes - there's been push," said Legionnaires Head Coach Darren Evjen. "Today, the second period we did damage to ourselves for taking bad penalties. But, we found a way to kill them off - the old 'bend, but don't break' - we kept pushing. We got down, and you're going to go through that in games. You've got to learn to push back and tie it up, and then win a game somehow. That's what we found today."

After the up and down preseason, the team will need to work to get into fine form.

"There's a ton of work ahead of us - just a ton," Evjen noted. "But, I think we're starting at the basics and we're just going to keep trying to get better every day. There's some things we really need to work on. Our discipline has been a real issue in the preseason, but yet our character has been a real issue for winning these games."

"A lot to work on, but we see some things that we can get better at. We just need to find a way to correct things in practice and apply them to games," he added.

In helping the team find their form and chemistry as soon as possible, it will be key for returning veterans to show the team standard on and off the ice.

"They're driving the train. When you're a leader, you're representing the team in every way," Evjen said. "So, how you play the game, how you go to school, how you handle situations - that's how our young guys are going to react. They're a major impact on your team at every level."

Strutt, who scored the OT winner yesterday, seems comfortable shouldering part of that workload, having kept last year's playoff push to the league semi finals on the mind.

"My offseason I was working really hard working out in Estevan, getting a lot bigger and stronger," he said. For our older guys it definitely carried over - having that same push in the playoffs, coming into preseason here and trying to play the same way we ended off last season."

Part of that offseason for Strutt was spent at an SJHL training camp with his hometown Estevan Bruins.

"It's really good because you get used to playing with a lot bigger and faster guys," he said. "It makes you a lot faster, gives you a little bit more experience and more confidence to come out and play with guys your own age."

The Legionnaires are off until September 22 when they are on the road against the Beardys Blackhawks in the season-opener. The two teams face off at 6 p.m.