The Moose Jaw Warriors left their game against the Prince Albert Raiders last week feeling as if they deserved a far better result.
On Saturday night in Prince Albert, the hockey gods decided to make things right.
Despite being heavily outshot in the first period, the Warriors would take a two-goal lead out of the opening frame and would go on to 4-1 victory in Western Hockey League action.
Moose Jaw improved to 7-5-0-0 with the win and moved into a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, one point back of a four-team logjam for top spot overall in the WHL.
The last time the Moose Jaw Warriors were in Prince Albert, they couldn’t buy a goal with all the money in the world. This time around, it took all of 20 seconds.
Jagger Firkus forced a neutral-zone turnover and found Ethan Semeniuk for the quick breakout, followed by Semeniuk hitting Brayden Yager with a perfect backhand pass to the high slot. One laser beam of a shot top corner blocker side later, and it was 1-0 Warriors.
The rest of the period was decidedly in Prince Albert’s favour, and the results showed on the shot clock as Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger faced 24 shots in the frame, stopping all of them.
At times it looked like the exact opposite of the Warriors’ dominant showing in the 6-3 loss to Prince Albert at home last week, and the results on the scoreboard were the opposite as well, thanks to a late-period breakaway by Firkus.
Denton Mateychuk sent the Seattle Kraken prospect in all alone, and he’d lift a quick backhand over Raiders goaltender Chase Coward’s right pad to put the Warriors ahead 2-0 after the first.
The Raiders' pressure didn’t let up in the second, and thanks to an early Warriors penalty, the contest would become a one-goal game.
Brayden Dube took the initial shot, with the rebound going to Cole Peardon at the side of the net. Unger could only get a piece of his shot and Prince Albert was on the board.
The one-goal game wouldn’t last the period. Firkus struck again, taking a pass in the zone while breaking down the wing and finding a world of time and space before putting a shot over Coward’s blocker with 11 seconds remaining in the second period.
The Raiders took a penalty on the goal, and Firkus used the power play to finish off his hat trick seconds into the third.
It was a product of some beautiful puck movement in the Raiders zone, and from the usual suspects -- Mateychuk from the blue line to Yager in the slot to Firkus at the side of the net for the one-timer goal at 55 seconds.
Firkus’ hat trick was his first of the season and gives him 10 goals and 20 points on the season, moving him into a tie for fourth overall in the WHL. Yager is also in the top 10 with eight goals and 17 points for ninth overall and Mateychuk’s three assists gave him 10 points in six games and ninth in scoring among defenceman.
Unger was far less busy after his first-period heroics, facing six shots in the second period and nine in the third for a total of 39 on the night. Coward had 25 saves for the Raiders.
The Warriors are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Saskatoon to face the Blades. Next home action is Saturday, Oct. 28 when the Prince George Cougars are in town. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
