And this time it was nicely encapsulated in one game.
A mediocre start to the night, awful start to the second period, solid pushback in the latter half of the second and decent showing through the third all translated into a 2-1 overtime loss to the Swift Current Broncos in Swift Current.
Owen Pickering scored the game-winner 56 seconds into the extra period to give the Broncos the win.
The first period was largely anticlimactic as neither team controlled the play for long stretches.
That all changed in the second, though, as Swift Current came out like a house afire, and aided by a pair of Warriors penalties in the opening 10 minutes, were able to generate a ton of chances on Warriors starter Carl Tetachuk. The 20-year-old netminder was up to the task, though, keeping the game scoreless and his crew in the game.
The Warriors pushed back in the final half of the period and had a handful of opportunities of their own, including a flurry of chances from the Eric Alarie - Atley Calvert - Logan Doust line at around the eight-minute mark.
A four-minute power play with just over five minutes to play in the second gave the Warriors a golden chance to hit the scoresheet, but Moose Jaw’s season-long trend of giving up shorthanded goals reared its head once again. Connor Hvidston forced a turn-over at the blueline and went in all alone on Tetachuk, knocking home his own rebound with 1:04 to play in the period.
The goal was the seventh shorthanded marker surrendered by the Warriors this season and came after Moose Jaw was unable to generate any pressure on their prolonged power play.
The Warriors caught a break on the tying goal early in the third. Alarie attempted a cross ice pass in the Broncos zone, but it went off a defender in the slot and bounced high. Doust was able to track the puck, though, and tipped it past Isaac Poulter to tie the game 1-1.
Moose Jaw had the lion’s share of puck possession and zone time through the remainder of the period, but neither team would hit the scoresheet, sending things into overtime.
There, Matthew Ward nearly set up a glorious scoring chance with a toe drag, and as the play continued, Pickering found the puck in the slot and ripped a shot top corner glove side to bring the proceedings to an end.
The Warriors finished the game 0-for-4 on the power play, while Swift Current was 0-for-5.
Tetachuk made 31 saves for the Warriors, who also had 31 shots on Poulter.
Moose Jaw fell to 8-10-1-1 with their first overtime loss of the season, Swift Current improved to 7-11-2-1.
The two teams are right back at it on Saturday night, with puck drop at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
