The Moose Jaw Warriors have dodged injuries all season, but the suspension bug has suddenly taken a serious toll on the Western Hockey League squad.
Missing five players for league discipline issues, the Warriors would drop a 5-2 decision to the Prince Albert Raiders in Prince Albert on Saturday night.
The loss marked the first time the Warriors have lost three straight all season, with the team having surrendered a total of 20 goals in that span, including 12 in their last two games, while scoring only three.
Their record falls to 33-19-0-3 to sit only three points up on Lethbridge for fourth place in the Eastern Conference and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
A major reason for all that, of course, is the list of suspended players. Forward Robert Baco sat out Saturday’s game for a checking-from-behind major taken against Winnipeg the previous night, joining goaltender Connor Ungar, defenceman Max Wanner, defenceman Marek Howell and forward Lynden Lakovic on the sidelines, with the latter four missing their fourth game as the WHL investigates potential Standard of Conduct violations.
The Warriors had a chance to take the lead only 2:30 into the proceedings when Jagger Firkus was awarded a penalty shot after being hacked by Landon Kosior on a breakaway. Firkus would stickhandle his way in and come within an inch of the game’s first goal, only to put his backhand off the post.
Penalties to Tate Schofer and Logan Dowhaniuk put the Raiders on a two-man advantage for over a minute midway through the period, but the Warriors were able to kill off both minors.
Prince Albert would get on the board first with 5:41 remaining in the period, with Niall Crocker finding a deflected puck in the slot and putting a shot home for the 1-0 lead.
Brayden Yager would get that one back for the Warriors three minutes later. Eric Alarie would set the play up with a long pass from deep in the Moose Jaw zone, and Yager would go in two-on-one with Atley Calvert before putting a shot top shelf short side on Raider netminder Tikhon Chaika.
The Raiders caught another break to make it a 2-1 contest early in the second. A Warriors centering pass in the Moose Jaw zone deflected off an attacker and right to Aiden Ouring in the slot, and he’d have all day to beat Jackson Unger for the go-ahead goal at 1:41.
Prince Albert extended their lead with a power play goal at 10:44 of the period, as Eric Johnston got off a shot from the point that Unger looked to have a bead on, only to have it go off the tip of his glove and in.
The Raiders carried their two-goal edge until just over eight minutes remained in regulation, when the Warriors were finally rewarded for continuous pressure throughout the period.
Josh Hoekstra was the beneficiary, as a turnover at the blueline led to the Warriors forward getting off a shot from the blueline that eluded a partially screened Chaika.
Prince Albert weathered the storm as the Warriors pressed for the tying goal, and restored their two goal lead with 2:59 to play. The Raiders had several scoring chances in the seconds preceding, and Kosior finished things off with a backhand top corner from the slot.
Crocker then added an empty net power play goal 31 seconds later to finish things off.
Unger finished with 18 saves on the night, Chaika turned aside 21.
The Warriors are back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 21 in a key match-up against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
