Four games in four provinces in five nights sees Tribe with single point lead on Broncos
It’s not the kind of road trip you look forward to, by any stretch of the imagination. Four games in five nights in four different provinces, including a swing from Cranbrook, B.C. to Brandon, Man. The end result saw the Moose Jaw Warriors post a 2-2 record in Western Hockey League action last week, culminating with a 4-2 loss to the Wheat Kings before the Tribe returned home and rolled to a 5-1 win over the Blades.
“It’s been a busy month, for sure,” said Warriors captain Brett Howden. “We’ve been on the run a lot lately with a lot of travel. There have been games where we’ve let down, so it’ll be good to have a chance to rest and recover. We’re looking forward to these games at home and finishing the regular season strong.”
Justin Almeida and Josh Brook each scored first period goals to give the Tribe an early 2-0 edge, the kind of quick production the team was hoping to see against a hungry opponent.
So when the Blades found another gear and scored the only goal of the second period, it wasn’t much of a surprise to Warriors coach Tim Hunter.
The Warriors took over midway through the third, shortly after Saskatoon had a goal disallowed for goaltender interference. Jayden Halbgewachs and Howden scored 34 seconds apart before Tristin Langan added an insurance marker shorthanded with three minutes remaining to give the Tribe the crucial win. The Warriors remain one point up on the Swift Current Broncos for first overall and hold a game in hand. Brody Willms bounced back from being pulled early the night before in Brandon, making 25 saves to take the win, while Nolan Maier stopped 26 for Saskatoon.
From all indications, the Warriors turned in a mostly solid effort against the Wheat Kings – it was just the first 15 minutes of the game where things could have been better. Ty Lewis scored twice and Stelio Mattheos had their oth- er goal as Brandon built a 3-0 lead in the first 14:51. Barrett Sheen got one back for the Tribe before the period was out, and Almeida pulled the Warriors within one midway through the third, but that would be as close as they’d get as Lewis finished off the hat trick to cap scoring in the contest.
The Warriors outshot Brandon 43-21 in the game, including 21-7 in the third.
Next action for the Tribe is Mar. 7 when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes.