The Moose Jaw Warriors live to fight another day after another thrilling overtime battle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Championship.
Lynden Lakovic was the overtime hero for the Warriors in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Saskatoon Blades, lifting home the winner 2:57 into the extra period.
“It just goes to show what playoff hockey is all about,” Lakovic said after scoring his second overtime winner of the playoffs.
“This is the fifth game that’s gone to overtime, it just shows that anything can happen, so in a game like that, you’ve just got to throw it on net and hope something happens and tonight it did.”
Five out of the six games in the series have now gone to overtime, tying a Western Hockey League record for most OT games in one series.
The Warriors’ win forces a seventh and deciding game on Tuesday in Saskatoon.
“It was a fun game, it had everything that this series has had, the momentum swings and goals on both sides, it’s just fun,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said.
After falling behind early in the past two games, the Warriors started quickly in this one as Brayden Schuurman scored on the first shift of the game, just 38 seconds in.
“Our line, we know we can be heavy on the forecheck, creating and making it hard on their guys down low and we wanted to get to that right off that first shift,” Schuurman said.
Saskatoon would answer back as Egor Sidorov tied the game only 3:07 later.
Schuurman added his second of the night later in the first to give Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead after one.
The Blades tied the game late in the second period when Moose Jaw product Rowan Calvert scored on the power play to send the game in the third even at 2-2.
Saskatoon got the go-ahead goal from Charlie Wright just three minutes into the third, but the Warriors answered back when Rilen Kovacevic fired in his fourth of the playoffs just past the midway point of the frame.
Kovacevic finished with a goal and three points in the win.
In the overtime period, Matthew Savoie got the puck to Lakovic down the wing and he lifted in his fourth of the playoffs to send the Hangar into a frenzy.
“Anything can happen in a game like that, these two teams, if we were to play the series ten times, I bet you there would be a different winner each time,” Lakovic said.
“We don’t want this to end, we don’t change much, we just do it for each other.”
Jackson Unger made 30 saves in the victory, while Evan Gardner stopped 31 in goal for Saskatoon.
The Warriors were 0-for-1 on the power play and the Blades went 1-for-1 on the night.
These two teams will now meet for Game 7 on Tuesday night in Saskatoon with the winner advancing to the 2024 WHL Championship Series.