Not only did the fourth-ranked 2020 NHL Draft prospect turn aside an incredible 59 shots in his team’s 2-1 loss to kick off their U.S. road swing, a good number of his stops were of the post-to-post, sprawl-and-dive variety as Gould did everything he could to keep his crew in the game.
And it almost worked, too.
Chase Hartje opened scoring for the Warriors only 3:16 into the contest, as the overage defenceman pinched in on the wing, picked up the rebound off a Cade Hayes shot and scored past Spokane netminder James Porter.
That goal came moments after Gould utterly robbed the Chiefs’ Leif Mattson on a cross-ice pass to his blocker side, and minutes after Hartje’s goal, Gould would stop Mattson again with a spectacular cross-crease glove save that wound up as the WHL.ca Save of the Night.
The Chiefs would tie the game 7:53 into the second as Graham Sward managed to chip a shot over Gould during a scramble in front of the net.
There the score would remain until 34 seconds into overtime, when Eli Zummack took advantage of the extra space three-on-three provides to walk into the slot and beat Gould with a shot high blocker side.
All told, Gould would stop 24 shots in the first, 20 in the second and 14 in the third. Porter didn’t have quite as busy a night, as the Warriors didn’t break double digits in shots in any period and would have only 18 total.
The Warriors continue their U.S road swing with games against the Tri-City Americans on Friday, Feb. 14, Portland Winterhawks on Sunday, Feb. 16 and Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday, Feb. 18 before closing things out against the Everett Silvertips on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Next home action for the Warriors is the first game of a home-and home series with the Swift Current Broncos on Friday, Feb. 28.
