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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Warriors Win Third Straight; Top Rebels in Overtime

December 31, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Jagger Firkus made sure it was a happy end to 2021 for the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The 17-year-old forward scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season in overtime to lift the Warriors to a 4-3 win over the Red Deer Rebels on New Year's Eve at Mosaic Place.

"I thought we deserved the win here tonight," Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary said. "I liked long stretches of the game and at the end of the day, we put ourselves in a position to win the game."

The win is the third straight for the Warriors and moves them into a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the Saskatoon Blades.

Brayden Yager, Eric Alarie and Robert Baco picked up a goal and two points each in the win for Moose Jaw.

"We just never let our guard down and eventually we came up with the win," Alarie said after the game.

The Rebels came in off two wins earlier this week and with eight wins in their last eight games. They played a tight game against the Warriors, but Alarie said Moose Jaw responded.

"Red Deer is known for being a physical team and we had to be ready for them," he said. "We can be physical in our own and we can take it, but also give it."

Yager opened the scoring with his 16th of the season, snapping a shot over the glove of Red Deer goalie Chase Wutzke just 5:38 into the first.

The Rebels tied the game midway through the frame when Jace Isley jumped on a turnover and wired a shot past Warriors goalie Jackson Unger.

Then, penalty trouble hurt the Warriors late in the second and allowed the Rebels to tie the game when Christoffer Sedof scored just five seconds into a 5-on-3 power play.

The Warriors retook the lead early in the third period when Baco finished off a give-and-go with Eric Alarie for his fourth of the season.

The lead didn't last long though, as Red Deer's Blake Stevenson tied the game back up less than three minutes later and sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Yager, Jagger Firkus and Denton Mateychuk went to work with Firkus finishing off a great passing play for his team-leading 19th of the season.

Jackson Unger made 19 saves for his third win of the season, including his second against the Rebels.

Moose Jaw outshot Red Deer, 30-22, in the game and 11-3 in the third period.

The Warriors were 0-for-4 on the power play in the win and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

The Warriors get right back on the ice to kick-off of 2022 with an afternoon game against the Pats in Regina on New Year's Day. Puck drops at 4 p.m.

Tune in live on Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 3:40 p.m.

Check out the Moose Jaw Warriors Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2021


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