Moose Jaw, SK – The Moose Jaw Warriors got exactly the start that they were looking for, but couldn’t carry the momentum over on Wednesday night.
Despite scoring in the opening 90 seconds of the first and second periods, the Warriors lost 7-3 to the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
“There’s a lot of things that you could say didn’t go our way, but it comes down to execution,” Warriors forward Brayden Yager said. “You’ve got to play for 60 minutes because tonight and in Swift, it hurt us not playing the full 60 minutes.”
The loss in the second straight for the Warriors and keeps them from moving closer to clinching a playoff spot with just three points separating Moose Jaw from punching a ticket into the post-season.
“You’ve got to come back to tomorrow and work as hard as we can at practice and focus on execution of the details,” Warriors assistant coach Gord Burnett said. “You come to work every day, you work as hard as you can to get better and then hopefully it translates into the games this weekend.”
Jagger Firkus had two goals and three points in the loss, while Martin Rysavy finished with a goal and two points, and Yager picked up two helpers.
The Wheat Kings scored three times in the first and second periods each to take control of the game. Burnett said Brandon was able to create a lot of their offence off its forecheck.
“It’s hard work to break the puck out of your zone versus a team that’s going to forecheck you,” he said.
Jagger Firkus opened the scoring just 64 seconds into the game, but Brandon answered with a goal from Nolan Flamand six minutes later to tie the game.
Rylen Roersma would strike for a pair of goals just 1:30 apart later in the first to give the Wheat Kings a 3-1 lead after one.
Rysavy answered back for the Warriors with his ninth of the season only 1:28 into the second period, but again the Wheat Kings responded with three straight goals.
Nate Danielson made it a two-goal game only 1:31 later and then Ben Thornton scored a little over two minutes later to make it 5-2.
Anthony Wilson put Brandon up by four just past the midway point of the second.
The Warriors would cut back into the lead when Firkus scored at the buzzer to end the second period, picking up his 31st of the season, to make it 6-3 after two.
Roersma’s hat trick goal sealed the win for the Wheat Kings in the third period.
The Warriors were outshot 18-7 in the opening period but outshot the Wheat Kings 21-19 over the final two periods.
“When we started shooting the puck, I thought we created a little bit for ourselves, but when we weren’t, it wasn’t going our way,” Burnett said.
“Halfway through the second period, I thought we shot and we created some chances for ourselves and put them on their heels a bit, but we didn’t sustain that long enough to make a difference.”
The Warriors will look to bounce back when they head to Saskatoon to face the Blades on Friday and then return home to host the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.