RECAP – Tough third period leads to loss in Saskatoon
Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatoon Blades scored five unanswered goals in the third period and handed the Moose Jaw Warriors a 5-2 loss Friday night at SaskTel Centre.
Offensively, in the first period, the Warriors did a good job battling from the boards to the front of the Saskatoon net for opportunities. They scored the game’s first goal just past the eight-minute mark. On the power play, Ethan Semeniuk deflected a point shot from Aiden Ziprick to score his third goal of the year.
Defensively in the opening frame, Moose Jaw made it difficult for Saskatoon to drive to the middle of the ice for quality chances. That solid play allowed the Warriors to give up only three shots in the period.
The battles continued throughout the second period. As both teams looked to press toward the other’s net, both teams made key defensive plays to keep the game close.
With just over two minutes remaining in the middle stanza, Rilen Kovacevic generated a neutral zone turnover and quickly headed on the attack. As Kovacevic gained the Saskatoon zone, he moved the puck to Lynden Lakovic on the left wing. The West Kelowna product drove to the faceoff dot inside the circle and then snapped a shot past Evan Gardner. His 17th goal of the season gave Moose Jaw a 2-0 lead.
Six minutes into the third period, the Warriors took a penalty, and the Blades capitalized. Saskatoon set up Brandon Lisowsky in the right circle. The 20-year-old lifted a shot to the back of the net for a power-play goal to get Saskatoon on the board.
16 seconds later, the Warriors lost control of the puck high in the Saskatoon zone. Lisowsky poked it up the ice and then got control in the neutral zone and broke in on a breakaway where he scored to tie the game at two.
Saskatoon kept the pressure coming inside the Warrior line, just over two minutes later, Morgan Tastad was able to get a shot through traffic from the left circle, giving Saskatoon their first lead of the game. The Blades added a power-play goal from Rowan Calvert just after the midway point of the frame and then scored into an empty net to put the game away.
Rilen Kovacevic led the Warriors with two assists while Brandon Lisowsky led the Blades with two goals and three points. Josh Banini took the loss, allowing four goals on 26 shots and Evan Gardner got the win making 28 saves.
The squad returns home on Saturday to take on the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7:00 pm at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Tickets are available online at www.mjwarriors.ca.
