It stood to reason the Moose Jaw Warriors were eventually going to pick up a relatively comfortable win in Western Hockey League action.
Saturday night against the Swift Current Broncos, it finally happened.
The Warriors scored four straight goals through the second and third periods and went on to 6-2 victory over the Broncos at Mosaic Place. The win came on the heels of a 2-1 overtime loss in Swift Current 24 hours earlier.
The win was the first for Moose Jaw by four goals or more since their 7-1 home-opening win over Saskatoon back on Oct. 1. It also marked the third straight game with a point for the local squad as they improved to 9-10-1-1 on the campaign.
“I think the first period we came out flying and we just kept that mentality and pace throughout the second and third period,” said Warriors forward Ryder Korczak, who had a goal and an assist in the contest. “Our PK was unreal and our power play could have been better, we just have to bury our chances, but this was good for our confidence and we have to keep it going for the next game.”
The Warriors came out firing right from the opning face-off, drawing a penalty in the game’s opening seconds and throwing relentless pressure at Swift Current throughout the first five minutes.
Jagger Firkus would get Moose Jaw on the board on their second power play before the game was 10 minutes old, taking a feed from Cade Hayes and firing a shot past Reid Dyck at the 6:15 mark.
Just how good was the Warriors’ start? They were outshooting the Broncos 13-1 when Firkus scored his eighth of the season.
For all that pressure, though, Swift Current got one break and made it count. Cole Nagy jumped on a loose puck at the Warriors’ blueline and went in on a long breakaway before lifting a backhander over Carl Tetachuk with 8:59 gone in the first.
The Warriors retook the lead two minutes later when Firkus picked up the puck behind the net and fired a quick pass out front to Hayes, who made no mistake with his shot from the top of the crease to put Moose Jaw ahead 2-1.
Swift Current tied the game again with 4:28 remaining in the frame, as Owen Pickering’s shot from the point beat a screened Tetachuk five-hole.
Korczak gave the Warriors back the lead 52 seconds into the second period, and it was a nifty one -- Korczak took a feed from Martin Rysavy in front of the net and outwaited Dyck before skating around the downed goaltender and slipping a shot in behind him.
The marker was reminiscent of the famous Brayden Point highlight-reel goal that pops up any time the Warriors look back on his time with the team.
“(Dyck) comes out so far, so I just thought I could outwait him and eventually I got the chance,” Korczak said with a grin. “We were talking in the dressing room it was a bit of a Mitch Marner move, too.”
More importantly, the goal was the first point for Korczak after failing to hit the scoresheet in the Warriors’ previous four games.
“It felt good out there, the feet were moving and the puck went in a little bit, so hopefully it’ll keep going here,” he said.
Warriors captain Daemon Hunt extended the lead to two 6:07 into the third, taking a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and trickled in behind Dyck.
Firkus then put the Warriors ahead 5-2, battling free to get to a loose puck in the crease after a Matthew Gallant shot from the side of the net and poking it home. Just over three minutes later, Denton Mateychuk found himself with space at the top of the crease and put a shot home to give Moose Jaw their fourth-straight goal and 6-2 edge.
Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary had a simple message for his crew after the game.
“I think for the players it’s just remembering this feeling,” he said. “They did it the right way, they played on the right side of the puck and earned the chances we had, and as a coach it’s a fun night when you can roll four lines and six defenceman and have them just work through things together. It’s a fun atmosphere to be around.”
The hope is that with all the bad luck and weirdness the team has gone through for the first couple months of the season, a win like this -- and their signs of success in recent showings -- will lead to positive things in the future.
“You go back to the last four games here, even back in Brandon we had all sort of opportunities and they didn’t go in and it bit us in the end,” O’Leary said. “Then in Prince Albert, four go in in the first period and we rode that to the end of the game. So we’ll be looking for more games like this, especially when we’re in Alberta next weekend.”
Tetachuk turned aside 29 shots to earn the win, Dyck faced 48 shots in the Swift Current net.
As Korczak mentioned, the Warriors killed off all five Broncos power plays and were 1-for-4 on the man advantage themselves.
The Warriors are back in action Tuesday when they host Brandon. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
