SASKATOON -- The Moose Jaw Warriors got off to a fast start and took an early lead against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night, and this time they were able to make it stick.
One game after giving up six goals in the third period and falling 7-5 to the Kamloops Blazers, the Warriors took a 4-1 lead into the final frame and were able to come away with a 6-2 victory at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
Moose Jaw improves to 5-4-1-0 on the season to sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, three points back of the fourth-place Blades and their 7-3-0-0 record.
The Warriors opened scoring 3:19 into the game, with Lynden Lakovic finding himself in the right place at the right time to poke home a shot by Riley Thorpe that had eluded Saskatoon goaltender Evan Gardner and dropped into the crease.
Moose Jaw’s captain then made it 2-0 with 2:25 remaining in the first, scoring his team-leading seventh of the season by stealing the puck in the neutral zone and going in all alone before tucking the puck around Gardner.
That’s where things would finish up in the opening frame, with Moose Jaw holding a 16-9 edge in shots.
Saskatoon was able to get much more pressure in the second period, and Jack Kachkowski would be rewarded with his first of the season. Tristen Doyle got off a shot from the slot and Kachkowski would pounce on the rebound to beat a scrambling Kyle Jones and make it a one goal game 6:12 in.
Some quick work on the transition led to Moose Jaw’s third goal, as Gage Nagel broke into the Blades zone two-on-one with Will Degagne and would find the Saskatoon product with a cross-crease backhand pass. One quick shot later and Degagne had his first WHL goal, with the marker coming with 4:12 remaining in the period.
Nagel would strike on the power play to make it a 4-1 Warriors lead 4:12 into the third, taking a pass from Connor Schmidt into the slot and ripping a shot past Gardner.
The Blades again made it a two-goal game when Cooper Williams redirected a point shot by Doyle with 9:25 to play in the game, and a late Moose Jaw penalty would give Saskatoon life.
The Blades would opt to pull Gardner for the 6-on-4 man advantage, but Nolan Paquette and Kash Andresen would each score empty netters to put the game away for Moose Jaw.
Thorpe and Landen McFadden joined Nagel and Lakovic in finishing with two points apiece for the Warriors, Doyle had two assists for Saskatoon.
Jones finished with 31 saves to earn his first WHL win, Gardner turned aside 24 shots in taking the loss.
The two teams are right back in action on Saturday night when Saskatoon makes the trip south to Moose Jaw, with puck drop at 6 p.m. from Temple Gardens Centre.
