Warriors Can't Hold Onto Lead, Fall to Brandon in Season Opener
September 21, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
Brandon, Man. - The Moose Jaw Warriors put together a strong 40 minutes, but couldn't finish the job against the Brandon Wheat Kings in the season opener.
The Warriors led 2-1 after two, but Brandon scored four unanswered goals, including two into an empty net, in the third period to knock off Moose Jaw 5-2 on Friday night at Westoba Place.
"First game of the season and some guys first game of their Western League careers, so there was a lot of learning, a lot of teaching and making sure we're executing on the details and we'll be alright moving forward," Warriors assistant coach Curtis Pereverzoff said.
Jackson Unger made 41 saves in the loss for the Warriors, while Connor Schmidt and Lynden Lakovic scored in the opener.
"Really liked the first period, thought we had a lot of jump, a lot of energy, we were executing plays, we had numbers around the puck and we were doing a good job of playing off the shot and we got away from that in the third period," Pereverzoff said.
Schmidt scored the first goal of the 2024-25 Western Hockey League season when he rifled home a shot midway through the first period.
After Brandon tied the game on a power play goal from Roger McQueen early in the second, the Warriors answered back with a great shot from Lakovic to make it a 2-1 game through 40.
McQueen took over for the Wheat Kings, scoring three straight goals in the third period to make it 4-2 and then Rylen Roersma added one into an empty net in the final seconds to seal the win.
Pereverzoff said the Warriors weren't clean in the defensive and neutral zones as the game went on.
"We weren't executing on our breakouts properly and through the neutral zone, cost a lot of turnovers and we were in a tracking situation and playing D zone coverage," he said.
After outshooting Brandon 14-12 in the first period, the Warriors were outshot 46-25 overall in the game.
Moose Jaw finished 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Warriors will look to bounce back when they return to the Hangar for the 2024 Home Opener against the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday. The 2024 WHL Championship banner raising ceremony begins at 7 p.m.
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