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Warriors score five straight on way to win over Wheat Kings

Korczak and Lolacher each score two, Dowhaniuk and Mateychuk pick up two assists apiece as Moose Jaw takes 5-1 win over Brandon

It took two periods for the Moose Jaw Warriors to really get going against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday night, but once they did, it was all hands on deck.

The Warriors overcame an early 1-0 deficit by scoring five straight goals -- including four in the third period -- and would go on to a 5-1 victory in Western Hockey League action at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Moose Jaw improved to 29-15-0-3 with the victory and once again moved past the Saskatoon Blades into third place in the Eastern Conference, though the Blades have five games in hand.

“It was definitely a slow start, we gave up an early one there, but about 10 minutes in we figured  it out a little better,” said Warriors defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk, who capped the contest with a pair of assists. “Then in the second we got the power play goal and in the third we were just firing on all cylinders, so it was a nice win.”

As Dowhaniuk alluded to, Brandon got off to a great start, hemming the Warriors in their zone for the first minute before scoring the game’s opening goal. Former Warrior Calder Anderson took a feed off the end boards from Nolan Ritchie and put a shot home only 1:23 into the contest.

Neither team had more than a few scoring chances in the second period, but the Warriors were able to make the most of the opening they did get on their first power play of the game. Harper Lolacher found some open space in the slot and jumped on a Dowhaniuk shot that rebounded off Martin Ryavy in front, roofing a shot blocker side to tie the game 5:52 into the period.

Jagger Firkus had a pair of chances to give his team the lead in the last minute of the frame, but Carson Bjarnason would make two big saves to keep the contest tied.

The Warriors had the majority of chances in the first eight minutes of the third, and once they broke through at the 7:36 mark, things just kept rolling.

“It was just getting shots on net, trying to crash the net and generate chances like that,” Dowhankiuk explained. “We had bodies in front of the net, we were shooting and they were going in.”

Atley Calvert got the run started, just missing a couple of chances in close seconds earlier before staking himself in front of the Brandon net. He’d be rewarded by tipping a point shot by Denton Mateychuk past Bjarnason for the 2-1 lead.

Ryder Korczak then extended the edge to two goals with 7:01 to play, taking a short pass into the slot from Max Wanner and absolutely wiring a one-timer top shelf.

Only 59 seconds later, the overage forward scored another beauty, cruising into the high slot and tipping a Dowhaniuk shot top corner glove side. The goal was Korczak’s 20th of the season and 42nd point in only 28 games.

“I saw Korz with his stick on the ice and kind of just shot it right at him and he got a really nice tip on on it,” Dowhaniuk said. 

The Warriors kept coming, and Lolacher would make it a 5-1 game with 3:36 to play, breaking down the left wing on the rush and sneaking home a shot that Bjarnason could only get a piece of.

Connor Ungar was his usual steady self in goal, turning aside 32 shots in the win, while the Warriors had 33 shots on Bjarnason.

The Warriors are right back in action on Saturday night when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers, and the goal with be to keep on with the roll.

“I think we have all the talent in the world here, the only thing we’re struggling with is consistency,” Dowhaniuk said. “It’s just coming in every day and doing what we can to win, I think we’ve been doing a lot better with that this past month, so we just have to keep it going into the playoffs.”

Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

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