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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Warriors Clinch Home Ice Advantage; Fall in OT to Lethbridge

April 16, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


The Moose Jaw Warriors wanted to skate away from Lethbridge with a victory, but the team got the next best thing.

With the Warriors' single point in the 5-4 overtime loss to the Hurricanes, Moose Jaw locked up home ice advantage in the first round of the 2022 WHL Playoffs.

"That was huge," Warriors defenceman Majid Kaddoura said. "We've been battling for that all year with Saskatoon and Brandon and that's something that we set a goal to do and reaching it's obviously unreal."

The Warriors will host the Saskatoon Blades to open their best-of-seven series next weekend.

Moose Jaw will also finish the regular season as the highest ranked team in Saskatchewan this season with a point lead on the Blades heading into the regular season finale on Sunday in Regina.

"We're happy about it," Warriors assistant coach Gord Burnett said. "We got one game to finish up and then it's time to get refocused after we play Regina on Sunday."

Friday's matchup with the Hurricanes saw the Warriors battle back from a 3-2 deficit heading into the third period.

Martin Rysavy and Cole Jordan scored late in the third period to put the Warriors in front 4-3 with 3:40 to play, but the Hurricanes tied the game on a goal from Alex Thacker with 55 seconds to play.

Yegor Klavdiev won the game just a minute into overtime.

"It's tough, it's nice to see the guys battle back there, but that was a playoff game and it's a fine line to win, especially in the playoffs, you have to play a full 60," Kaddoura said.

"We want to win every puck battle and every foot race and we didn't do that tonight."

Lethbridge opened the scoring 6:30 into the game when Klavdiev snapped home a shot.

Kaddoura answered for the Warriors with 1:10 to go in the first when his point shot from its way through for his sixth of the season.

The Warriors rode that momentum to start the second period when Ryder Korczak's long shot beat Hurricanes goalie Bryan Thomson for his 25th, making it 2-1 just 21 seconds into the period.

The Hurricanes battled back and tied the game on a goal from Brayden Edwards just before the midway point of the second.

Edwards' second of the night came with 2:48 left in the second and gave the Hurricanes the lead going into the third.

The Warriors found the equalizer when Rysavy tipped home a Kaddoura point shot on the power play with just under nine minutes to play.

Moose Jaw used that spark and Jordan floated in his third of the season to put the Warriors in front 3:40 left in regulation.

It wasn't to be however as the Hurricanes tied it in the final minute and then won it overtime.

"Above all, it was slow starting a little bit, they play a pretty physical game, but as the game went on it sped up and we started playing a little bit better," Burnett said.

"It's not easy against a team that locks it down like they do."

In his final regular season game in his hometown, Carl Tetachuk made 27 saves in the loss, while Thomson stopped 35 of 39 shots from the Warriors.

The Warriors finished 1-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill in the loss.

Moose Jaw will close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon against the Pats in Regina.

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 16, 2022


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