Thomas Tien did the honours for 2021 against the Swift Current Broncos, finding the puck during a goalmouth scramble and poking the puck home 5:47 into the game.
It was the start of a mostly solid showing on the night for the Warriors, as they’d go on to a 4-2 victory with a bounce-back showing after a tough 4-1 loss 24 hours earlier in Swift Current.
“We’ve able to bounce back after a lot of games where we’ve been down, so it was huge to be able to come back and play a lot better,” said Warriors defenceman Cole Jordan, who returned to the line-up in Swift Current after missing 24 games with a lower body injury. “And it was the Teddy Bear Toss game, a good crowd so it was exciting and great to come out with a win.”
The Warriors were able to get pressure on Swift Current right from the get-go, and it led to the early opening goal. Robert Baco almost scored on a wrap-around, but the puck went to the top of the crease, where Tien was able to slide it through a bunch of bodies in front to send the bears flying.
“Before the game, coach said our line was one of the hardest working and he wanted to see us on the forecheck, so that’s what we did and we got a reward for that,” Tien said. “I was just happy to be around the net and able to bang one in.”
The 17-year-old had a bit of an idea what his celebration was going to be if he scored, but that all went out the window once the puck crossed the line.
“Everybody before the game was thinking if they score what they were going to do, but after it went in, I had so many emotions, it was excitement that took over,” Tien said with a huge grin.
Jagger Firkus would give Moose Jaw a 2-0 lead with 6:40 to play in the period, taking a lead pass from Denton Mateychuk, going in on a breakaway and beating Isaac Poulter with a shot top corner glove side from the top of the crease.
The two early markers came after it took over 59 minutes to score once on Poulter 24 hours earlier
“Coach was really emphasizing that we needed to be way harder to play against and that’s exactly what we did,” Tien said. “We came out with a good start, looked like a different team and showed them who the Moose Jaw Warriors really are.”
The Warriors kept things going in the second period, and were given a golden opportunity to extend their lead when Caleb Wyrostok took a five-minute major for cross-checking 2;26 into the period.
Brayden Yager would make the Broncos pay, taking a cross-ice feed from Jagger Firkus and ripping a shot home 14 seconds into the penalty, making it 3-0 Moose Jaw 2:40 into the frame.
Interestingly enough, that goal marked a turning point in the game -- and not in the Warriors’ favour.
The Broncos killed off the rest of the penalty and then got one back 8:57 into the period, as Swift Current’s Cole Nagy scored on the power play of their own, poking home a loose puck in the crease after outbattling a Warriors defender.
Another penalty late in the period led to the Broncos pulling within one less than 30 seconds into the third, with Nagy scoring his second of the game during a goalmouth scramble.
The Warriors looked to have scored a much, much needed insurance marker with 2:27 remainnig, but the goal was called back due to being offside.
It wouldn’t matter in the end, though, as Ryder Korczak scored an empty-netter on a shot deep from in the Warriors zone with 35 seconds remaining in the game.
“I think it was a little bit of an up-and-down game for sure,” Tien said. “We just stuck to the structure and got the job done.”
Carl Tetachuk turned aside 25 shots to earn the win, Poulter stopped 11 shots in 23:02 of work before giving way to Reid Dyck, who stopped all 16 shots the rest of the way.
The Warriors are back in action Tuesday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings. Game time is 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place.
