RECAP – Warriors suffer narrow loss in Red Deer
Red Deer, AB – A three-goal first-period hole turned out to be to big to overcome as the Warriors fell 4-2 Friday to the Red Deer Rebels.
In the first period, the Warriors had their chances to take control of the game but they were unable to convert around the Red Deer net.
Close to seven minutes into the game and with the Warriors on the power play, Moose Jaw lost control of the puck high in the Red Deer zone. Samuel Drancak jumped on the loose puck, burst up the ice, and scored shorthanded to get the Rebels on the board.
With seven minutes remaining, the Rebels won a wall battle inside the Moose Jaw zone. A shot from the blue line bounced off a body and then rolled to the top of the crease for Gleb Semenov who made it 2-0.
With two and a half minutes remaining in the game, the Warriors landed on a five-on-three power play for 53 seconds. On the two-man advantage, Aiden Ziprick blasted a shot from the blue line but it went off the post.
As the power play continued, the Warriors thought they picked up their first goal when Ethan Semeniuk knocked the puck out of the air. However, after a review, the goal was waived off as the off-ice officials said it was high sticked.
Shortly after that, the Rebels picked up a power play and with eleven seconds left in the period, Kalan Lind scored to make it 3-0.
Two minutes into the second period, the Warriors caught a break when Ethan Hughes jumped on a Rebels turnover in the Red Deer zone. The second-year Warrior dangled his way to the middle of the ice, where he put a shot past the goalie. His fifth of the season got Moose Jaw on the board.
The Warriors’ special teams were crucial in the middle period. Red Deer had four power plays, but led by goalie Matthew Hutchison, the Warriors held their ground and kept the Rebels off the board.
On the other hand, Moose Jaw had one power play in the middle period. Just past the midway point, the Warriors drove across the Red Deer line and eventually found Krzysztof Macias in the high slot. His quick shot found the back of the net, pulling the Warriors to within one.
Moose Jaw tried to press for an equalizer in the third period, there were moments where they had quality chances but they could not punch the puck over the goal line. Red Deer would add an empty-net goal with less than a second remaining to put the game out of reach.
Ethan Hughes led the Warriors with a goal and two points, and in net, Matthew Hutchison made 36 saves. Moose Jaw was 1-for-6 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill.
The Warriors’ weekend road trip continues Saturday with their final trip of the season to Edmonton to take on the Oil Kings. Catch all the action on Country 100 starting with the PreGame Show at 7:40 pm.
