The Moose Jaw Warriors had the opportunities against the Brandon Wheat Kings in Western Hockey League action on Saturday night, but the finish just wasn’t there.
Despite outshooting their opposition 35-25 and creating plenty of scoring chances, the Warriors would drop a 4-1 decision in their first visit to Westoba Place this season.
“There’s no question we had lots of looks, we had breakaways, two-on-ones, we had lots of looks at some rebounds laying there, we couldn’t get to,” Warriors assistant coach Scott King said on www.mjwarriors.ca. “We’re generating enough chances to win, just have to bear down and capitalize.”
Charlie Elick got things started for Brandon, pinching in off the blueline and blasting a shot glove side past Jackson Unger 3;23 into the proceedings and after a run of pressure in the Warriors zone.
That was all the scoring in the first, but it was a familiar face who struck for the Wheat Kings early in the second.
Calder Anderson -- who played three seasons in Moose Jaw before an off-season trade to his hometown in Brandon -- broke in two-on-one with Jake Chiasson and wired a shot upstairs for the 2-0 lead.
The Warriors were beneficiaries of some puck luck on their lone goal 8:10 into the second. Marek Howell got a hard shot off from the point, only to have the puck redirect a couple of times before finding the back of the net. The goal was the Warriors rookie’s first of the season.
Brandon used a quick transition to score their third goal 3:14 into the third. Rylen Roersma hit Evan Groening with a long breakaway pass at the Warriors blueline and he’d stuff a shot in along the ice to give the Wheat Kings a 3-1 lead.
Chaisson wrapped up scoring with 9:53 to play, taking a drop pass from Anderson on the rush and getting off a shot that Unger initially stopped, but the rebound came right back to Chaisson and he’d make no mistake.
Unger finished with 21 saves on the night, while the Warriors fired 34 at Carson Bjarnason.
The Warriors are back in action on Wednesday night when they host the Saskatoon Blades. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
