MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Warriors have their first win of the 2024-25 Western Hockey League season.
The Warriors scored three goals in the second period and held off a late surge by the Regina Pats to take a 4-2 victory in front of 3,274 fans at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Friday night, improving to 1-2-0-0 on the season.
Regina has an identical record, with the two teams tied for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
As well as things turned out for the home team in the end, it was anything but a good start -- Regina took no time at all to get on the board, scoring 39 seconds into the game when Zackary Shantz took advantage of a turnover in the Warriors zone and put a perfect shot from the slot top shelf blocker side.
That would be the only goal Warriors goaltender Dimitri Fortin would allow until midway through the third period, though, with his 33-save performance a key factor in Moose Jaw’s victory.
“Especially with that start, the first goal in seconds, a lot people would be like ‘aw it’s over’ right off the bat,” Fortin said after the contest. “But I just told myself to just keep on going, one shot doesn’t determine the whole game. I just kept on doing that and it showed the rest of the game.”
The Warriors defence did their part, too, successfully clogging up the front of the net any time there was a scoring chance and keeping Regina’s attackers from getting more than one or two cracks at the puck in close.
“It’s huge, especially with how big the guys are and how strong they are,” Fortin said of the team’s play in front of him. “I know I can count on my d-men with any loose puck that they’ll get it out, and trusting them is a big part of the game.”
The way things played out in the first period, it looked as if fans were in for a good old-fashioned goaltending battle, as Pats goaltender Kelton Pyne was just as sharp in the opening frame. The Warriors had plenty of chances to tie the game, but Pyne would make 13 saves to keep Moose Jaw off the board.
Things changed early in the second, though, and it was the Warriors’ turn to strike quickly. With Regina on a power play to start the period, Rilen Kovacevic pounced on a turnover at the Pats blueline and converted on the breakaway to tie the game 1:11 in.
Just over a minute later the Warriors took the lead. Brayden Schuurman broke up his wing and beat his defender to the outside before going in on a two-on-one and putting a shot top shelf glove side.
Moose Jaw had a great chance to build on the lead five minutes into the second when the Pats’ Sam Laplante took an interference penalty and Corbin Vaughn a contact to the head major on the same play, but despite a hit crossbar, hit post and a shot that went through the crease on a wide-open net, the score remained 2-1.
It was Regina’s turn to get some pressure in the Warriors’ zone later in the period, but a quick transition led to Lynden Lakovic going in on a breakaway, and he’d make no mistake, slipping a shot five-hole for the two-goal lead with 2:19 remaining.
Max Finley then made it a 4-1 game with 8:43 to play in the game, taking a feed from behind the net from Schuurman and putting a quick shot past Pyne for his first of the season.
Regina got one back with 7:15 remaining when Tanner Howe scored on the power play, taking a feed into the slot and putting a shot top-shelf blocker side.
That was it for scoring on the night, and the Warriors had the win in the books.
“The first one is out of the way now and we’ll keep on going, but it’s always a good feeling beating them,” Fortin said of the Trans Canada Clash victory. “We have a huge rivalry, especially from last year, and it’s a great feeling to get the win in these games.”
Pyne capped his night with 31 saves and also played a large role in keeping his team in the game as it progressed.
The two teams will rematch on Sunday afternoon in Regina, with puck drop at 2 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.
“It’ll be the same thing, they’re a hard team to play against and they always battle, so we’ll stick to the gameplan and see how it goes,” Fortin said.
