The last time the Moose Jaw Warriors took the ice in a Western Hockey League contest, it was a frustrating night that saw the local squad unable to generate much offensively despite their share of chances.
That translated into a 5-2 loss to Lethbridge on home ice on Saturday.
On Tuesday evening in Brandon against the Wheat Kings, there were no such difficulties.
The Warriors scored four times in the second period and would go on to a 7-1 victory, moving another win closer to clinching an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Ryder Korczak led the assault with a goal and four points on the night, with his 20th marker of the season kicking off the second--period flurry at the 3:30 mark of the second period.
The four-point night was Korczak’s top single-game output since Dec. 14, when the 18-year-old forward had two goals and four points in a 5-4 loss to the Saskatoon Blades. It also snapped a bit of a scoring schneid for the New York Rangers prospect, as he had a goal and an assist in his previous six games.
The contest was a milestone night for forward Brayden Yager, who scored his 30th goal of the season with 1:38 remaining in the second period. The goal saw Majid Khaddoura hit Yager with a pass to the right wing as he broke down the ice with a full head of steam, unleashing a shot from the face-off dot that beat Brandon goaltender Ethan Kruger high glove side.
The marker broke Theoren Fleury’s team record of 29 for most goals by a 16-year-old in the regular season. Fleury himself weighed in on Twitter shortly after the Warriors acknowledged the record, saying “Way to go man. Records are made to be broken. Congrats!!!!”
Fleury’s record had stood for 37 years, dating back to the 1984-85 season.
“It feels really good,” Yager told the Warriors’ Marc Smith on the Ultimate Fan Zone post-game show. “I kind of just came down the wing and put the puck on net and it went in. It feels even better getting the win as well, so that was really good.”
Eric Alarie enjoyed his first multi-goal game since back on Feb. 4 in a 3-1 win in Swift Current, as he scored the game’s opening marker and set the tone 3:51 into the game before closing out scoring with 8:27 remaining.
The good news didn’t stop there for the Warriors, as Martin Rysavy scored for the first time since way back on Dec. 14, having suffered a shoulder injury that caused him to miss nearly two months and 23 games of action, dating back to Jan. 15 when the Winnipeg Ice were in town. The Czech import also added an assist on Alarie’s second goal.
Robert Baco rounded out scoring for the Warriors, with his 11th of the season wrapping up the Warriors’ big second period with 12 seconds remaining.
Defenceman Lucas Brenton also picked up a pair of assists on the night.
Jake Chaisson was the only Brandon shooter to beat Warriors netminder Carl Tetachuk, who capped the night with 21 saves. The Warriors had 22 shots on Kruger and third-period replacement Carson Bjarnason.
Moose Jaw improved to 33-20-3-2 with the win and now sit 10 points back of Red Deer for third in the Conference and three points up on fifth-place Saskatoon.
The Warriors are right back in action on Wednesday night, as they’re in Winnipeg to face the Ice, with next home action this Saturday against the Regina Pats on Snowbirds Night. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
