Skip to content

Warriors rally from three-goal deficit to take OT win over Pats

Yager, Korczak have three points each as Moose Jaw picks up third straight extra-time win to kick off campaign
It’s become a broken record, but the Moose Jaw Warriors are absolutely, most definitely not the same team as last year.

And you can count their arch-rival Regina Pats as the latest opposition to find out just how different they are.

The Pats roared out to a 4-1 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, but the Warriors would battle back for a 5-4 overtime win to improve to 3-0 on the season and hold down first place in the East Division hub.

“We learning that we’re never out of a game, but we’re also learning we need to get a little bit better here with our starts,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary, referring to his troops trailing early in all three contests.

“I think last game it took us until the third period that we got to our game and started playing with our identity, where tonight I thought it was the second period that it turned around. That’s improvement, I guess, you want to put 60 minutes together, but there’s a whole lot to get excited about for this win, for sure.”

Warriors captain Daemon Hunt took a pass from Brayden Yager, juked a Pats defender along the half wall, broke into open space and went in all alone on Pats goaltender Roddy Ross before taking his time and lifting a shot over the fallen netminder for the game-winning goal with 1:43 gone in overtime.

It was the Warriors third-straight win in OT or a shootout to kick off the campaign

“I think it certainly helps their confidence, and I think as coaches we have to be a little bit patient in terms of where we’re at here,” O’Leary said. “It is very early in the season, with a minimal training camp and that sort of thing, that’s not an excuse because every team is in that situation, but sitting back, we have to understand there’s going to be a learning curve to really find the consistency of what our game looks like.

“But it’s encouraging and exciting that we’ve shown spurts what we want our team to look like and being that team that attacks with and without the puck and a team that can play it any way you want to play it. That’s exciting and certainly if you can come away with three wins however they come, you’d rather learn on the fly that way, for sure.”

Tom Cadieux opened scoring quickly for Regina, with his shot from the blue line finding its way through all sorts of traffic in front and past Warriors goaltender Boston Bilous with 2:48 gone in the opening frame.

Former Warrior Carson Denomie made it 2-0 just over five minutes later, taking a great feed from Connor Bedard out of the corner and ripping a quick shot home.

Less than a minute after Denomie’s goal, the Warriors ended up taking back-to-back penalties for the third straight game, giving the Pats more than 1:40 with a two-man-advantage. They killed the first two against Brandon and P.A., but, you can only play with fire so often, and Denomie would score his second of the game with 9:40 gone to put Regina up 3-0.

Yager would get one back for the Warriors a little over a minute after that goal, though, the first point and first goal of what will undoubtedly be many of both in his career. Denton Mateychuk drew the primary assist, with Yager slickly tipping home his shot from the point.

“It was obviously nice to get the first one, I was just trying to get in front and Dens had a perfect shot just placing it on my stick and it went in,” Yager said in describing the goal.

The little bit of momentum wouldn’t last long, though, as Cole Dubinsky scored Regina’s fourth goal with 11:47 gone. That was it for Bilous, who gave way to Brett Mirwald in goal after facing 16 shots in the game’s first 10 minutes.

The Warriors made it 4-2 early in the second, as Tate Popple picked up the puck at the side of the net and had all day to beat Roddy Ross, burying the shot during a 5-on-3 power play. 

Cole Jordan and Eric Alarie then showed exactly what the NHL Central Scouting bureau sees Warriors duo -- both are projected late round picks in the upcoming Draft — as Jordan hit Alarie with a perfect pass at the far blueline from the top of his own face-off circle, and Alarie would make no mistake in putting a shot pass Ross on the ensuing breakaway.

Then came the tying goal, only 1:03 into the third, as Ryder Korczak scored his first of the season, knocking home a point shot by Alarie.

And just like that, the Warriors had climbed all the way back, something that Yager attributed to good, old-fashioned hard work.

“Coach is on us and says ‘work your tail off and your skill will take over’ and I think that’s what kind of happened here,” Yager said.

Yager and Korczak finished each added two assists.

Mirwald would stop all 27 shots he faced in relief, while Bilous turned aside 12 of 16 shots in only 10 minutes. Ross had 27 saves for Regina.

The Warriors are back in action Thursday when they face the Winnipeg Ice on Thursday, with game time at 4 p.m.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks