WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Mateychuk Leads Warriors to Game 3 Win in Swift Current

Published on April 17, 2024 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Swift Current, SK - The Moose Jaw Warriors held off the Swift Current Broncos in a back-and-forth Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Denton Mateychuk had two goals to lead the Warriors to a 5-3 win over the Broncos at the InnovationPlex, as Moose Jaw took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven second-round series.

"I thought we played a pretty solid game, our D-zone coverage was pretty good, we were a little slow to jump but that's going to happen when they're in their rink, they're going to have that little extra edge with their fans," Mateychuk said after the win.

After Swift Current opened the scoring, Moose Jaw pushed back, taking a 3-1 lead after one and held a 4-3 advantage after two before locking down in the third period to seal the win.

"It tightened up and you knew it would," Warriors associate coach Scott King said. "I thought we did a good job after they scored that first goal of pushing back right away and not playing on our heels."

Mateychuk finished with two goals and three points on the night as he continues to lead the Western Hockey League in playoff scoring with 17 points.

Jagger Firkus had two assists, while Atley Calvert, Lynden Lakovic and Matthew Savoie also scored in the win.

"To come in and win on the road, it's not an easy thing to do and we played a real good road game tonight," Calvert said.

Swift Current opened the scoring on a goal from Ty Coupland just 5:33 into the game.

The Warriors got stronger as the first period went on and Calvert got Moose Jaw on the board with his third of the playoffs with 7:44 left in the first.

Only 19 seconds later, the Warriors took a 2-1 lead when Lakovic stole the puck behind the net and slide home his third of the playoffs.

Moose Jaw would go in front by two just 1:02 later when Mateychuk ripped home his fourth of the playoffs.

The Broncos pushed back to start the second period, getting goals from Owen Pickering and Brady Birnie in the first 3:01 to tie the game up at 3-3.

The score stayed that way until the final minute of the second when Firkus found Mateychuk alone in the slot and he lifted home his second of the game to restore the Warriors' lead after two.

Moose Jaw clamped down defensively in the third and sealed the win with an empty net goal from Savoie with 40 seconds to go.

"In the third, we played a real structured game," Mateychuk said.

Jackson Unger made 25 saves in the win for Moose Jaw, while the Warriors outshot the Broncos, 34-28, overall.

Moose Jaw finished 1-for-3 on the power play and went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.

These two sides meet for Game 4 on Wednesday night at the InnovationPlex. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

Check out the Moose Jaw Warriors Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 17, 2024


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