The Moose Jaw Warriors are playing some of their best hockey of the season, and that’s despite missing a host of players thanks to the World Junior Hockey Championship.
With no less than four World Junior players out of the line-up Friday night against the Prince Albert Raiders, the Warriors would battle to a 6-4 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre for their fifth straight victory -- their longest winning run of the season.
Martin Rysavy scored the game winner with 48 seconds remaining and Jagger Firkus had a goal and five points to lead the Warriors to the win despite missing Team Canada players Denton Mateychuk, Brayden Yager and Matthew Savoie in addition to Czechia defenceman Vojtech Port.
Moose Jaw is now 22-14-0-2 on the campaign and sit two points back of Medicine Hat for second in the Eastern Conference.
The Raiders had a ton of pressure to start the game, and were rewarded 2:50 into the proceedings. Oli Chenier put a shot on net through traffic, and the puck would elude a screen before finding the back of the net.
Firkus was back in the line-up after returning from the World Juniors, and he partnered with Brayden Schuurman for the Warriors’ first goal. The duo worked a nifty give-and-go that saw Firkus break into the zone before finding Schuurman in front of the net, and he would tuck the puck home five hole to make it a 1-1 game with 1:30 remaining in the period.
It didn’t take the Warriors long to take the lead in the second frame.
Shortly after a power play had expired, Atley Calvert got a shot off in close that led to a rebound to the side of the net, and Rilen Kovacevic would battle through a defender to pop the puck home only 34 seconds in.
The rest of the period was the Jackson Unger Show.
Unger was sharp on a breakaway by Brayden Dube not long after the go-ahead goal, and came up big again Eric Johnston was awarded a penalty shot three minutes into the period.
He wasn’t done there, either, making a spectacular glove save on a goalmouth scramble with 7:32 to play in the frame and then stopping Niall Crocker on a breakaway with two minutes remaining. All told, Unger would stop 20 shots in the period.
Pavel McKenzie gave his goaltender some breathing room 2:13 into the third, picking up the puck in the corner and banking in a shot from the goalline off Raiders goaltender Max Hildebrand.
An intercepted pass in the Prince Albert zone led to the Raiders getting back to within one with 11:07 to play, with Crocker finishing off the ensuing three-on-one break.
Calvert restored the two-goal lead with his 23rd goal of the season, and it was the usual stuff, with Firkus putting the puck to the front of the net on the power play and Calvert outworking a defender to bang it home at 10:18.
Penalty trouble led to the Raiders tying the game with goals in the next three minutes.
Terrell Goldsmith got P.A. within one when his shot from the point went off a player in front and found the top of the net and the Raiders then tied the game with 6:46 remaining, with Crocker scoring off a goalmouth scramble.
All that led to Rysavy scoring the biggest goal of the game. With the Warriors on a power play of their own, Jagger Firkus would find the overage forward with a cross zone pass to the side of the net, and he roofed a shot to make it 5-4 with 49 seconds remaining.
Firkus then scored an empty netter with nine seconds to play for his fifth point of the night, moving him from sixth to third in WHL scoring with 28 goals and 64 points.
Unger ended up with 23 saves in the final period and faced 52 shots on the night, while the Warriors had 30 on Hildebrand.
The Warriors are right back in action on Saturday night when they travel to Swift Current. Next home action is Wednesday, Jan. 10 when the Victoria Royals are in town.
