Weekend Opens With Win Over Edmonton
Zach Sawchenko made 36 saves Friday to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings at Mosaic Place.
The Warriors picked up the game’s first goal with just over three minutes left in the opening period. On the power play, Nikita Popugaev set up Noah Gregor in the high slot between the Edmonton circles where he rifled a shot over goalie Patrick Dea for his sixth goal of the year and his first power play goal of the year.
The power play goal by the Warriors snapped a five-game goalless streak for the man-advantage, it was their first power play goal since October 17th.
In the second period Edmonton leaned on their power play for an equalizer. With four minutes left in the middle period and on the man-advantage, Davis Koch drove to the Warriors net along the right goal line and then pushed the puck along the ice past Zach Sawchenko to even the game at one.
Four minutes in to the third period Warriors 17-year-old rookie Jaxan Kaluski charged hard to the Edmonton left goal line on the fore-check. Kaluski was able to steal the puck and push it between the circles for Josh Thrower who quickly fed Tanner Jeannot for a one-time inside the right circle for his fifth goal of the year.
The Warriors added an insurance goal four minutes later when Ryan Bowen batted a puck out of the year and past Patrick Dea for his fifth goal of the year.
Edmonton pressured throughout the final period to try and get back in the game, they tossed 17 shots on net in the period but were turned away by Zach Sawchenko who led the Warriors to the 3-1 win.
Nikita Popugaev finished with two assists, the Warriors were 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The win extends the Warriors winning streak to four games, they’ve also won seven out of their last eight games improving their record to 11-3-2.
The Warriors wrap up their four-game in five-day schedule Saturday with their first and only meeting of the season against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Warriors Hockey returns to Country 100 starting with the Westrum Lumber Timber Mart PreGame Show at 6:40pm.
