The Moose Jaw Warriors had the majority of chances and scoring opportunities on Friday night against the Saskatoon Blades, but as seems to be the case more often than not these days, they ran into a hot goaltender.
Blades netminder Austin Elliot made a host of huge saves for his club throughout the night, and Saskatoon would go on to an 4-1 victory in Western Hockey League action from SaskTel Place.
The Warriors fell to 35-22-0-3 with the loss, and with a Lethbridge win in Prince Albert, the Hurricanes are now only three points back of Moose Jaw for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Brandon Lisowsky almost opened scoring in the game seconds into the proceedings, forcing a turnover and going in on a partial breakaway, but the puck would hop over his stick at the last second.
The Warriors had a great chance of their own to open scoring with five minutes to play in the first period, but a short two-on-none with Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus led to Yager trying one too many passes and neither player getting off a shot.
Moose Jaw had a couple of chances to take the lead early in the second period, but the Blades would break through midway through the frame. Tanner Molendyk snapped the scoreless draw when Connor Roulette forced a defensive zone turnover and hit the 17-year-old with a cross-ice pass for the one-timer past Justen Maric.
Moose Jaw had a glorious opportunity to get that one back with 2:30 to play in the period when Tate Schofer found Ben Riche all alone in front with a pass from behind the net, but Blades goaltender Austin Elliott would get across to make a huge glove save.
The Warriors once again had a handful of chances to tie the game early in the third thanks to a power play, but Elliott would get the job done.
Saskatoon’s Egor Sidorov then extended the lead to 2-0 at the 3:30 mark of the period, putting home a quick shot from the slot after a pass from behind the net by Lisowsky.
The Warriors finally made one of their numerous chances count with 6:58 gone in the third. Atley Calvert scored on the power play for his 35th of the season, taking a feed from Korczak at the blueline down to the side of the net, spinning and putting a shot top shelf short side.
The Blades got that one back six minutes later, with Blake Gustafson breaking in and getting a shot off from the top of the right faceoff circle that Maric could only get a piece of with his glove.
Sideroff then added an empty net goal with 10 seconds remaining to close out scoring.
Maric finished the night with 30 saves, while Elliott turned aside 26 at the other end of the ice.
The Warriors are right back in action on Saturday night when they host the Prince Albert Raiders at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
