Warriors Drop Hard Fought Battle to Rebels
October 15, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
The Moose Jaw Warriors were expecting a hard fought game heading into Friday’s matchup with the Red Deer Rebels and that’s exactly what they got.
Red Deer remained undefeated, handing Moose Jaw a 4-2 loss at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
“Red Deer plays a real hard game… they make you earn every inch out there, they’re a physical team, they’re a heavy team,” Warriors assistant coach Scott King said.
“I liked our game, I thought we did a lot of good things, but unfortunately a bounce here and a bounce there.”
Moose Jaw had two leads in the game, but Red Deer responded each time and then finished with three unanswered goals, all on the power play, to take the victory.
“You’ve got to give them credit, they played a pretty solid game, even in our defensive zone, they were winning races to pucks and battles, so we’ve really got to bear down, win those races and battles and really work on getting inside,” Warriors forward Ben Riche said.
After a tight opening period that saw the Warriors kill off a five-on-three, Moose Jaw got a break when Jagger Firkus snapped home his third of the season with only 20 seconds to play in the period.
The Warriors held that lead until midway through the second period when Kai Uchacz was credited with a goal after Cole Jordan cleared a rebound into his own net.
Less than five minutes later, the Warriors restored their lead as Robert Baco’s hard work got the puck in front to Eric Alarie, who scored his second of the season.
Moose Jaw was back on the penalty kill late in the second period when Firkus was hauled down on a breakaway for a penalty shot. He was stopped by Kyle Kelsey and that marked a turning point in the game.
Just 18 seconds later, Ben King blasted home a power play goal to tie the game back up for the Rebels.
In the final seconds of the second, Warriors forward Tate Schofer was handed a major for charging, giving the Rebels a five-minute power play to open the third.
Red Deer capitalized with goals from King and Jayden Grubbe to take the lead for the first time and seal the win.
The Warriors gave the Rebels seven power play opportunities and it hurt them.
King said the penalty kill started strong, but Red Deer had too many chances.
“Good teams find ways to create looks and create lanes and they did that,” he said.
Moose Jaw finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while going 4-for-7 on the penalty.
Connor Ungar made 35 saves as he took his first loss of the season in the Warriors’ net. Moose Jaw was outshot 39-29 on the night.
The Warriors will look to rebound on Saturday night when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
Tune into the IKS Media Warriors Live Pre-Game and Post-Game Shows on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The Pre-Game Show is on the air at 6:45 p.m.
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