MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Warriors are finally on their way home after a tough trip through the Western Hockey League’s B.C. Division.
The Warriors wrapped up the five-game swing on Saturday night with an 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Giants, capping the run with a single victory and dropping to 4-11-2-0 to remain tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
Vancouver improved to 9-4-2-0 and moved into a tie for third in the Western Conference.
The game was back and forth much of the first half of the opening frame before the two teams found their offence in the final eight minutes.
Vancouver opened scoring with 7:20 to play in the period when Mazden Leslie hit Adam Titlbach with a perfect backdoor pass at the side of the net, and a quick tap-in made it a 1-0 game.
The Warriors got that one right back only 17 seconds later. Rilen Kovacevic took a feed from Kalem Parker and went in on a short partial breakaway before slipping a shot home five hole.
Vancouver didn’t let up, though, and developed more pressure as the period progressed, eventually scoring twice in the final six minutes.
Tyus Sparks made it 2-1 with 5:36 to play, finding himself in the right spot at the side of the net to pounce on a Colton Roberts rebound and tap the puck home.
WHL goal-scoring leader Cameron Schmidt got in on the action three minutes later, finding the back of the net on a shot from the slot through traffic to give Vancouver a 3-1 lead after the first.
Schmidt scored his 17th of the season three minutes into the second, going in on a breakaway and putting a perfect shot top shelf blocker side. Only 19 seconds after that goal, Leslie scored on a shot through traffic from the slot to make it 5-1.
That marked the end of the night for Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger, who was replaced by Dimitri Fortin after allowing the five goals on 14 shots.
The Warriors got one back 3:18 into the third, and it was a nifty one from Ethan Hughes. The 18-year-old forward carried into the Vancouver zone and eluded a check before splitting a pair of defenders with a toe drag and putting a perfect shot top shelf glove side.
Schmidt then finished off his hat trick with 4:59 remaining, blocking a shot in the Vancouver zone and going in on a two-on-one before scoring on low glove side.
That would wrap up scoring on the night, and Vancouver had the four-goal win.
Fortin stopped 19 shots in his 36:41 of play, while Matthew Hutchison had 19 saves for Vancouver.
The Warriors will now make the 16-hour bus ride home and will have the week off before hosting the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
