Moose Jaw, SK — The Moose Jaw Warriors put together one of their most compete efforts of the season on Saturday night.
The Warriors knocked off the Western Conference-leading Prince George Cougars, 5-1, at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Military Appreciation Night.
“The start was obviously a big part of what we wanted to do, these guys, we knew that they were coming into our building and we wanted to play well at home,” Warriors forward Brayden Schuurman said.
Moose Jaw was able to limit the Cougars’ league-leading offence to just one power play goal in the third period.
Schuurman said they were able to contain Prince George’s chances off the rush.
“That was huge, us coming back through the middle and limiting their chances,” he said. “They got some shots from the outside, but we could count on [Jackson Unger] to make the first save as long as we were there to make sure we cleared the second and third chances.”
Warriors assistant coach Curtis Pereverzoff said the Warriors were able to build their offence from strong defensive play in the win.
“We were making sure everyone was coming back, doing their jobs and then as soon as we get the chance to get the puck going north, that’s what we did and when we got plays to the net and capitalized on them,” he said.
“It’s good to see from a coaching perspective and it’s also great for the players to see that when they play that way, they get rewarded with goals.”
Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk led the charge with two goals, while Atley Calvert finished with a goal and three points. Schuurman, Kalem Parker and Martin Rysavy added two assists each.
Jackson Unger made 29 saves in the victory between the pipes.
“The whole group performed really well,” Warriors assistant coach Curtis Pereverzoff said. “Everyone continued, so we’re super thrilled and happy with the result today.”
Lucas Brenton opened the scoring for the Warriors with his first of the season midway through the first period.
Jagger Firkus made it 2-0 for the Warriors only 1:52 into the second period and that got Moose Jaw rolling.
Calvert and Mateychuk added goals just 1:29 apart later in the frame to make it 4-0 for the Warriors after two.
Mateychuk’s second of the night early in the third extended the lead to five goals before Prince George broke up the shutout with a power play goal by Zac Funk.
“To see some other guys start chipping in, it does nothing but gain confidence for them and for the group as a while,” Pereverzoff said.
The Warriors outshot the Cougars 42-30 on the night, while Moose Jaw finished 0-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
It’s a quick turnaround for Moose Jaw as they will now get ready to host the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Tune into all the action on WHL Live and Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show on IKS Media Warriors Live at 1:45 p.m.