The Moose Jaw Warriors have seen this kind of show before.
Overage netminder Connor Ungar making big save after big save, keeping his team in the game and doing everything he can to help his crew find a way to win.
Most nights this season, it’s been enough to get the job done.
But Friday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, Calgary Hitmen goaltender Ethan Buenaventura was one single save better, and that was all the difference in a 2-1 shootout victory for the visitors.
Both Ungar and Buenaventura were absolutely stellar throughout the night, with the only difference being Zac Funk’s winner on the fourth Calgary shootout attempt, which also stood as the lone goal either would allow in extra time.
“I think when you look at it in a couple days I’ll see it as a good game, but right now it doesn’t feel too good,” a visibly disappointed Ungar said after the contest. “You never like losing, you play to win every game and coming up this short is pretty disappointing for us right now.”
The game was a big one in the standings, as the Warriors fell to 23-13-0-1 to sit a single point up on Calgary for fourth place and two points up on sixth-place Lethbridge. The Warriors are also six points back of Saskatoon for third place.
The Warriors had the lion’s share of golden scoring chances in the first period, but Buenaventura was up to the task -- first robbing Max Wanner on a chance in close after a great pass off the boards by Robert Baco and then stoning Denton Mateychuk on a shorthanded breakaway in the period’s final minutes.
Ungar wasn’t as busy when it came to great plays leading to scoring opportunities, but a late-period Calgary power play led to a couple of goalmouth scrambles that he was able to get the better of.
The Warriors received their first power play of the game 8:50 into the second period, and that gave them the opportunity to show off their puck-moving skill in the Hitmen zone. Denton Mateychuk found Ryder Korczak with a pass down low in the left corner and a quick feed to Atley Calvert at the side of the net led to the Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product scoring his 20th of the season.
Calgary’s Trey Patterson took a double minor for boarding Matthew Gallant with just over five minutes to play and a slashing penalty to Jacob Wright a minute later gave the Warriors a lengthy run on the power play, but they wouldn’t be able to capitalize.
The Hitmen actually ended up with one of the best scoring chances of the period with a breakaway during the 5-on-3, but Ungar was up to the task with a big save. Calgary also nearly broke through in the period’s final minute, only to once again run into a huge save by the Warriors’ netminder.
Moose Jaw ran into penalty trouble early in the third period, and Calgary made the most of the opportunity. Riley Fiddler-Schultz got off a shot from the point that found its way past a screened Ungar, tying the game 1-1 just over four minutes in the period.
The penalties continued to add up for both teams as the period progressed, with the Warriors going on the man advantage with just over two minutes to play. The home side would have three glorious opportunities to take the lead, but Buenaventura would get cross crease to make the save each time.
Watching that all go down at the other end of the ice was naturally a tough scene for Ungar, who simply maintained his focus -- and he would need every bit of it in the early moments of overtime.
“You have to respect what he’s doing down there and when you get your opportunity you have to be ready,” Ungar said.
A late too-many-men penalty gave Calgary a chance to finish things off early in extra frame, but it was Ungar’s turn to shine as he made four big saves, none more important than a diving cross-crease stop of his own on a Sean Tshigerl one-timer just as the penalty expired.
The two goaltenders’ heroics inevitably resulted in the shootout, where Funk would finish things off.
Ungar ended up facing 36 shots on the night, while the Warriors fired 44 and Buenaventura.
“It’s exciting to play a game like that, you live for those moments when you get to play playoff-style hockey games,” Ungar said. “For me it’s disappointing that I couldn’t help the team win tonight, but we have another one tomorrow night, we’ll refocus quick and worry about that one next.”
Their next match-up won’t be an easy one, either -- the Warriors take on the CHL top-ranked and WHL-leading Seattle Thunderbirds at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
