Oh, what a difference a day makes.
Only 24 hours after scoring three goals in the first period and going on to a 9-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen, the Warriors would surrender three unanswered in the opening frame and drop an 6-3 decision in Medicine Hat.
The Warriors fell to 19-11-0-0 with the loss and dropped four points back of Saskatoon for third in the Eastern Conference, as well as only a single point up on fifth-place Lethbridge.
The Warriors opened the game with all sorts of pressure in the opening seven minutes, but couldn’t find a way to beat Tigers goaltender Beckett Langkow -- something that would become a theme in the contest.
Medicine Hat, meanwhile, made the most of their few chances, beginning when Shane Smith got off a shot from the high slot that eluded a screened Connor Ungar and found the back of the net at the 9:11 mark.
That goal completely changed the flow of the period, and it was all Tigers from there.
Two minutes later, it was 2-0 Medicine Hat, with Brendan Lee scoring on the second Tigers power play of the game, and they didn’t stop there. Medicine Hat made it three goals in just over three minutes when Pavel Bocharov finished off a scramble in front of the Warriors net.
The Tigers kept up the pressure in the second period, and a terrible line change led to a three-on-none that resulted in Brayden Boehm finishing off the jailbreak five minutes into the period.
Langkow kept up the heroics as the period continued, first making a blocker save on Jagger Firkus on a breakaway midway through the frame and then robbing Atley Calvert on a point blamk chance at the top of the crease with a minute left.
Calvert wouldn’t be denied on his next chance, though, stationing himself in front of the net on the power play and powering home a rebound to get the Warriors within three with a minute to play.
Medicine Hat got that back 26 seconds into the third, with Lee taking advantage of a defensive zone turnover, circling the Warriors net and beating Ungar high blocker side.
Firkus got that one back five minutes later, with his power play goal coming off some solid puck movement with Ryder Korczak and Brayden Yager. Korczak’s assist on the play extended his point streak to 11 games, dating back to his return to the Warriors from the AHL Hartford Wolfpack.
Tomas Mrsic once again made it a four-goal game with 9:31 to play, but Yager would get a measure of pride back for the Warriors with 1:34 remaining to close out scoring.
Ungar finished with 22 saves on the night, Langkow turned aside 25 shots.
The Warriors are back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Spokane Chiefs. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
