WARRIORS END PATS' WINNING WEEKEND
Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
rPublished: Monday, October 15, 2007
rMOOSE JAW — The Moose Jaw Warriors have maintained at least one tradition under the guidance of new head coach Dave Hunchak.
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They still have the Regina Pats' number at the Crushed Can.
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Moose Jaw broke a scoreless draw with four third-period goals in a span of 4:07 on Sunday, skating away with a 4-0 win before 2,562 fans at the Civic Centre.
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Moose Jaw (4-3-2-0) has now won four straight after losing the first five games of the regular season. The Pats (7-4-0-0) missed a chance to post their third win in as many nights.
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"We felt we were snakebitten a little bit when things weren't going our way (to start the season)," offered Hunchak, Moose Jaw's first-year head coach. "Things are starting to go our way a little bit. Tonight I thought was a tremendous hockey game between two good hockey teams. We were fortunate to get a couple bounces to get ourselves a couple goals in the third period."
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There were few signs of fatigue on either side as the teams established a quick pace despite playing their third game in three nights.
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Regina owned a significant territorial advantage through two periods, but couldn't solve goaltender Joey Perricone — or Moose Jaw's fearless shot-blockers.
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White City product Jason Bast eventually opened the scoring on the power play at 6:08 of the third period. Ryan Stanton followed up just 30 seconds later — and the flood gates opened.
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Subsequent goals by Chad Suer and Travis Ehrhardt resulted in the end of the night for Pats goalie Linden Rowat, who face 19 shots. He was relieved by rookie Jeff Bosch, who stopped all four shots he faced. Perricone made 25 saves.
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"Guys made decisions that weren't team-based, they were for personal benefit or what they thought would be better than the gameplan," lamented Pats head coach Curtis Hunt. "That being said, a couple of those goals, you don't duplicate them because everything was about timing. They bounced three or four times before they went in the net. That's not why we pulled Rosie. We just figured at four it was a chance for Bosch to get in (a game) in this atmosphere and feel this crowd a little bit."
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Things turned ugly after Moose Jaw's four-goal barrage, resulting in a fight-filled third period which included a four-man melee midway through frame. The brawl was capped off by a spear from Perricone to the nether region of Regina's Kirt Hill, who was being escorted to the dressing room after a fight with Stanton.
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The Warriors were equally vexed in the first period after Pats defenceman Colten Teubert laid out Moose Jaw's best player, Riley Holzapfel. The Regina-born sniper didn't return due to an apparent concussion.
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The Warriors plan to send in a tape of the hit, which they felt was late and a shot to the head.
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"By no means do I think it was a case of Teubert trying to run after Holzapfel," emphasized Hunchak. "I don't think he's that type of player. As a coach in the league I have a tremendous amount of respect for Colten Teubert. Having said that, it's a part of the game we're trying to eliminate. Careers are at stake."
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Jordan Knackstedt pounced on Teubert after the hit, resulting in the game's first tussle.
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"It's part of the game," shrugged Teubert, who felt his team responded well to the physical confrontations late in the contest. "We were just trying to show our team pride and sticking up for other players. You look at Moose Jaw, they have a pretty big lineup. The rivalry is there. This is keeping it alive."
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EXTRAS: The Pats have been outscored 21-6 in the third period this season … Regina's power play, which entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the league, has now gone 1-for-17 in the past three games. The Pats were 0-for-5 against Moose Jaw, including a crucial four-minute advantage late in the second period … Pats LW Jared Jagow returned after missing two games with a shoulder problem … Regina's next action is at the Brandt Centre on Wednesday against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
