Combine a struggling penalty kill with a flurry of penalties and you have a recipe for disaster, as the Moose Jaw Warriors found out in Western Hockey League action on Tuesday night.
The Warriors took five straight minor penalties from the end of the first period through the 9:59 mark of the second, leading to the Regina Pats scoring three power play goals and going on to a 4-2 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
The loss was the second straight for the Warriors, who fell to 6-5 and dropped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Early on, the Warriors looked fine, with much of the play in the first four minutes in the Regina zone. After a flurry of chances on Pats goaltender Ewan Huet -- including a one-timer by Brayden Yager that he made a huge save on -- Jagger Firkus would break through. Firkus took a shot from the right side that Huet couldn’t quite corral and the puck would trickle into the net with 4:05 gone.
The remainder of the first period was back-and-forth, but a Lucas Brenton roughing penalty at the end of the first period would give the Pats a power play to start the second period and act as an ugly harbinger of things to come..
Parker Berge would score first goal of Regina’s flurry, taking a shot from the point that Tye Spencer redirected top corner with 1:44 gone in the frame.
Brayden Schuurman took a hooking penalty immediately after that, and the Warriors’ league-worst penalty kill -- under 55 per cent after Tuesday night -- continued to struggle, with another redirection in front of Jackson Unger giving the Pats the lead. Braxton Whitehead got the deflection this time, giving Regina the lead at 2:57 of the second.
A high sticking penalty to Ethan Hughes a minute later led to another Pats goal on another redirection. Whitehead scored again, with Regina scoring three power play goals in less than five minutes to open the period.
Matthew Gallant took a high sticking penalty for Regina’s fourth power play at the 6:21 mark of the period, but the Warriors were finally able to get a kill. Moose Jaw didn’t get a shot on net until almost the 11 mark of the frame, though, with Regina having 14 shots in that same span.
The string of penalties continued when Owen Berge took a boarding minor at 9:59, giving the Warriors five minors before the 10 minute mark.
A pair of Regina penalties late in the period gave the Warriors some momentum, but Huet would make three big saves in the final three minutes of the frame to preserve his team’s two-goal lead.
Lynden Lakovic took his first penalty of the season -- and the Warrors’ fourth high-sticking minor of the game -- 5:38 into the third, and just over a minute later, Tanner Howe scored Regina’s fourth power play goal.
Moose Jaw received a power play of their own with 2:16 to play and a Firkus one-timer would make it a two goal game 13 seconds later, but that would be as close as the Warriors would get.
Unger was solid in the Warriors goal outside of the bad luck on the power play and capped his night with 28 saves, while Moose Jaw had 22 on Huet.
All told, Regina was 4-for-7 on the power play, Moose Jaw 1-for-4.
The Warriors are back in action on Saturday night when they travel to Prince Albert.
