PREVIEW: Warriors go for sweep in Game 4 against Lethbridge
Lethbridge, AB — The Moose Jaw Warriors can finish off the Lethbridge Hurricanes and their first round series in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
The Warriors scored a 6-2 win on Tuesday to take a 3-0 stranglehold in the best-of-seven series.
Heading into Game 4, the Warriors are focused on taking it one period at a time as they look to punch their ticket to the next round.
“It’s a total reset for us, our leadership can help in that area,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said. “We certainly like a lot of our last game, but there’s always areas where we can improve and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
In Game 3, the Hurricanes set a physical tone early in the game, but the Warriors were able to push back and eventually the team’s skill was able to take over.
The Warriors knew that was going to be key to coming out on top.
“We went into the game with the expectation that the first 10 minutes were going to be real important and we were going to get a push from them, but I loved our response, we stood right in there, we didn’t take a backward step and at the end of it, we came out on top,” O’Leary said.
Jagger Firkus took a big hit in the opening moments of the game, but Max Wanner stood up for his teammate with an early fight.
Firkus said that showed that the Warriors weren’t going to be pushed around.
“It shows that we’re not going to sit back, we’re going to make sure they know that we’re not scared and we’re going to make sure we push back,” he said.
Firkus would go on to score a natural hat trick and finish with four points in the win.
His first goal came late in the first period and made it 2-1 for the Warriors.
“Going into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead is big and obviously got some momentum for the boys going into the second period,” Firkus said.
The Warriors would cruise after that, scoring three in the second and another in the third to seal the win.
Going into Game 4, O’Leary said they know Lethbridge will be throwing everything they have into the game.
“Anytime you go up against somebody with their back up against the wall, there’s going to be desperation there and we need to match that,” he said.
Firkus added that the Warriors can’t let up.
“We can’t change our game play, we can’t change our work ethic or anything,” he said.
The Warriors and Hurricanes meet for Game 4 on Wednesday night at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
