Warriors push Wheat Kings to brink

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This article was published 03/04/2024 (751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Longtime Brandon Wheat Kings nemesis Matthew Savoie scored twice and added an assist as the Moose Jaw Warriors earned a 6-4 victory in Game 3 at Westoba Place on Wednesday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Hockey League conference quarterfinal series.

The Warriors will have their first chance to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight when Game 4 takes place at Westoba Place at 7 p.m.

Owen Berge, Brayden Yager, Connor Schmidt and Denton Mateychuk also scored for the Warriors, while Matteo Michels, Roger McQueen, Brett Hyland and Jayden Wiens replied for the Wheat Kings in front of a crowd of 2,209.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said it was a tough night for his club.

“I think the first two periods were disappointing,” Murray said. “We got up 1-0 and then sat back and got casual. They came and put pressure on us and we just didn’t have enough intensity in our game.

“At the end of the day, we just probably had too many passengers. If you have two or three against this team, it’s too many and we had way too many, especially in the first two periods.”

Moose Jaw goalie Jackson Unger made a sensational seven minutes into the first period on Hyland on a two-on-one. The goaltender dove across and knocked the puck out of the air with the paddle of his stick to prevent Brandon from taking the lead.

Two minutes later, Michels jumped on a puck off a partially blocked shot and deposited it between the post and Unger’s leg to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The good times didn’t last for long.

It took the visitors just 56 seconds to respond. Off a faceoff win, Denton Mateychuk fired a shot from the blue-line and the fourth-liner Berge tipped past Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason.

Just 68 seconds after that, Jagger Firkus tried to dangle in and the puck was knocked off his stick. Yager skated in and flipped it short side over Bjarnason’s shoulder to give Moose Jaw a quick 2-1 lead in the first 10:37 of the game.

Jackson DeSouza took the first penalty a minute later at the 11:44 mark and it took six seconds for the Warriors to move the puck around to Savoie for a one-time blast that made it 3-1. Savoie played three full seasons with the Winnipeg Ice before they became the Wenatchee Wild, and was acquired by Moose Jaw on Jan. 4 in a massive deal.

Brandon was being outshot 10-3 after the three-goal outburst, which took 141 seconds.

The Warriors recorded 19 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes.

“It’s the same thing we’ve been talking about all year,” Michels said. “We have to start the game on time. We can’t give up that many chances in the first. It seems it always happens. We give up all the chances in the first and they dominate the game, and it’s hard to come back from the lead Moose Jaw has. It’s one thing we need to focus on, and the penalties.”

Brandon was fortunate to stay within a pair in the opening minutes of the second period, with Bjarnason denying Savoie and Schmidt on point-blank shots as Moose Jaw largely controlled the play.

The Warriors increased the lead 10:33 into the middle frame with the teams playing four-on-four. Savoie used his lineman as a decoy and fired a puck between Bjarnason’s legs to make it 4-1.

The hosts showed some life to open the third period, inching back within two goals when McQueen deflected a Charlie Elick shot for his fourth goal of the playoffs.

He nearly scored again two minutes later but the puck drifted under Unger and wide of the net.

The Warriors restored the three-goal on an ugly one when the hosts were outshooting the visitors 10-3 in the period. Schmidt’s bad-angle shot may have hit something as it snuck between Bjarnason’s pad and the post on the short side.

Brandon came a little unglued after that, giving Moose Jaw a long five-on-three that resulted in Mateychuk scoring from the slot to make it 6-2.

The Wheat Kings finished up with a pair of late goals, with Hyland leaning into a one-timer on the power play with 2:40 remaining, and Wiens jumping on a puck during a mad scramble 45 seconds later.

Bjarnason was pulled in the final minute but the Wheat Kings were unable to get any closer.

Michels said it was frustrating to again control the game for stretches but fail to have success.

“It’s definitely hard, thinking about that,” Michels said. “We do play with them easily. In the second half, I thought we dominated the game almost. We put a lot of pressure on them and they get tired sometimes. But we have to play the full 60 minutes like that. That’s our problem right now.”

Both goalies made 35 saves.

Brandon went 0-for-2 on the power play, with Moose Jaw scoring twice in four chances.

Moose Jaw head coach Mark O’Leary said it was a good effort.

“I thought for most of the game we were pretty good,” O’Leary said. “I still think we left some opportunities on the table, we’re missing the net an awful lot. I liked our overall game. The end was what it was. I thought we got on our heels a little bit and Brandon did what they did at the end with their hard push but I think we’re real happy overall and we have to do it again (tonight).”

The Wheat Kings now need a reverse sweep to advance.

“It’s do-or-die hockey,” Michels said. “It’s what builds character and shows who really wants it more. We’re going to see if we can start the game strong and come back in this one.”

ICINGS: Brandon skated without healthy scratches D Seth Tansem, D Giorgos Pantelas and F Matt Henry (third game of eight-game suspension) … Young signed forward prospect Isaac Davies is also up with the Wheat Kings and has been skating at practice this week … Jagger Firkus had three assists and Mateychuk had a pair of helpers … Hyland led the Wheat Kings with five shots on net … The game took two hours, 29 minutes to play … In the faceoff circle, Moose Jaw won 39-31 … If necessary, Game 5 is in Moose Jaw on Saturday at 8 p.m. (CDT), Game 6 is at Westoba Place on Sunday at 6 p.m. Game 7 would be held on Tuesday, April 9 at 8 p.m. (CDT) … Saskatoon Blades forward Egor Sidorov, 19, signed an entry-level, three-year contract with the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, it was announced Wednesday … The WHL record for fastest overtime goal remains with Brandonite Derek LeBlanc, who scored for the Calgary Hitmen against his former club, the Wheat Kings, on April 13, 2007. The goal came eight seconds into a 5-4 victory.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

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