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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Firkus' Hat Trick Powers Warriors Past Raiders

October 22, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Prince Albert, SK - Needing a win to snap a two-game losing skid, the Moose Jaw Warriors skated past the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday night.

Jagger Firkus scored his first hat trick of the year to lead the Warriors to a 4-1 win over the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre.

"A lot of games, it's been the other way around where teams are [scoring timely goals], so it's nice to flip the script," Warriors associate coach Scott King said.

Moose Jaw opened the scoring when Brayden Yager wired home his eighth of the season just 20 seconds into the game.

Firkus would score in the final of the first and second periods, and then again in the opening minute of the third period, giving him a team-leading 10 goals in 10 games this season.

Jackson Unger was lights out for the Warriors, making 38 saves in the win.

"He made some really good saves tonight, so it's nice to see him, in a tough building, play a real good game," King said.

After the Warriors opened the scoring, Prince Albert fired 24 shots on the Warriors' net in the opening period, but Unger stood tall to stop each one.

The 18-year-old goalie is now 6-4-0-0 this season with a 0.908 save percentage.

"We needed that, obviously as a team in this building if [Prince Albert] get feeling good in the first period, sometimes it's a long night, so Jackson was real good right off the bat," King said.

"He made some real key saves at key moments in the game."

Yager had a goal and two points in the win, while Denton Mateychuk added three assists for the Warriors.

With Moose Jaw leading 2-0 heading into the second, Prince Albert's Cole Peardon scored early in the frame to make it a one-goal game.

Firkus' late goal in the second and early goal in the third helped swing the game back in the Warriors favour.

"I thought we were doing a good job of just moving pucks out of the zone quick, I thought we were doing a good job of making them come the whole length of the ice," King said.

"In junior hockey mistakes will happen, but for the most part, we tried to make it hard for them to get up the ice and into our zone."

The Warriors will get a couple of days off to prepare for a busy week, which starts on Tuesday when they travel to Saskatoon for a showdown with the Blades.

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2023


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