The Moose Jaw Warriors put together one of their most complete efforts of the season to knock off the Eastern Conference’s top team.
Jackson Unger made 32 saves for the Warriors as they shutout the Saskatoon Blades, 4-0, on Thursday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
“Obviously Saskatoon is playing good hockey this year, but I like the fact that we took it to them right off the bat,” Warriors associate coach Scott King said. “We were getting pucks in behind them, we were on the forecheck and I thought a lot of guys probably had their best game in a Warrior uniform.”
The win snaps a five-game winless drought for the Warriors as Unger picks up his first shutout of the season and fifth of his Western Hockey League career.
Rilen Kovacevic scored twice for the Warriors, while Lynden Lakovic and Max Finley also found the back of the net in the win.
20-year-old defenceman Keaton Dowhaniuk picked up an assist for his first point as a Warrior in his debut with the team.
“We’re a tight group in here,” Dowhaniuk said. “The boys want it, the boys want to win and the boys want to have fun as well, so it’s just a good group of guys.”
Lakovic opened the scoring as he fired home his team-leading 11th of the season late in the first period. That goal would hold up as the game-winner.
Kovacevic struck for a pair in the second period, scoring his eighth of the season on a breakaway and then finishing off a nice passing play for his ninth of the year only a few minutes later.
The Warriors bent but didn’t break in the third period and eventually Finley iced the game with an empty net goal for his second of the season with 10 seconds to play.
“Something that hurt us up until this point was getting close but then not finishing the job, not checking, not getting puck back and I thought we were more tenacious tonight,” King said.
The Warriors outshot the Blades 33-32 in the win, while both teams finished 0-for-1 on the power play.
Moose Jaw will try to build off the win when they host Tri-City Americans on Saturday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Puck drops at 7 p.m.