Despite how well things went in the previous two games of their Western Hockey League Eastern Conference semifinal with the Winnipeg Ice, the Moose Jaw Warriors knew things weren’t going to get any easier as the series progressed.
Case in point, Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Zack Ostapchuk scored the game-winner 8:04 into overtime and the Ice would take a 3-2 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
As a result, it’s now a best-of-three, with Game 5 back in Winnipeg on Saturday night.
“If we didn’t get the win, it would be pretty bleak, but it’s a new series now and we’ll get back to home ice and see what happens there,” said Winnipeg head coach James Patrick. “This is two good teams going at it, both teams had times when they were controlling the play, it’s the ebbs and flows of the game, but it was a real good bounce back for us today after last night.”
The Warriors had taken an 8-4 win on home ice the night before, and Wednesday’s contest offered another example of how difficult it will be for either team to pull away as the series progresses.
“Both teams have a lot of firepower, both teams have some dynamic defencemen who play big minutes and both teams can get great goaltending performances,” Patrick said when asked for his evaluation of how close things have been for the most part. “Through four games, it’s been two evenly matched teams, and when I look at our game, I think there are areas we need to clean up and if we do those things, it gives us a chance to win, and I’m sure those guys feel the same way.”
As the score would indicate, it was a back-and-forth battle from the opening puck drop, with the Warriors finding an answer each time Winnipeg looked like they were going to pull away.
Vladislav Shilo opened scoring at 8:22 of the first, but Martin Rysavy would tie things up just over three minutes later.
Matthew Savoie then gave the Ice a 2-1 lead 50 seconds into the second period and would hold that edge into the final frame, when Jagger Firkus tied things up 1:22 in thanks to a slick pass from behind the net by Rysavy.
There things remained until overtime, where a cross-checking penalty to Logan Dowhaniuk put Winnipeg on their second power play of the game. Ostapchuk would take a feed to the top of the crease from Zach Benson and lift the puck over Ungar’s pad to give Winnipeg the win at 8:04 of the first extra period.
The Warriors were left to wonder how things could have been different if their myriad scoring chances in the third period had paid dividends.
“We had some really good shifts back-to-back-to-back, some good looks and weren’t able to capitalize,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “It’s like we’ve been saying, you never know when the opportunities are going to come and you have to take advantage when they do. Winnipeg capitalized in one more time that we did, it was a tough way to lose the game.”
Hauser had a bounce-back game after being pulled the last two contests, turning aside 29 shots, while Ungar had 38 saves for the Warriors.
Now the series moves on to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Saturday night, and neither coach expects things to get any easier.
“It’s just a reminder of how important the details are,” O’Leary said of how close the series has been. “The margin for error is pretty small, these have been two evenly matched teams and it can be one play that’s the difference, and it was tonight and will probably be the same in Winnipeg. The series shortens up, it’s a two out of three and we have to win two games before they do.”
For his part, Patrick hopes regaining home ice advantage marks the turning point for his club.
“It hasn’t been a big factor so far, but we’re hoping it is and we’d like to think it is,” he said. “We get the match-ups, but the match-ups have been the same no matter who is home, so it’s going to be a matter of playing your system, who can make the plays and who can defend and that’s what’s it’s going to take to win these games.”
Game 6 is back in Moose Jaw on Monday, with Game 7 if necessary on Wednesday, Apr. 26 in Winnipeg.
