They got that and then some.
The Warriors turned in a vastly improved performance -- and didn’t take near of a beating from the hockey gods -- on their way to an 4-0 victory over the Rebels in Red Deer.
The win came in the second game of their three-games-in-three-nights Central Division road trip and on the heels of a 7-1 loss to the Hitmen on Friday night.
Jackson Unger turned in a stellar performance to pick up his first Western Hockey League shutout -- and Moose Jaw’s first of the season -- with a 30 save performance. That included 12 in the first period, 10 in the second and eight in the third as the Warriors steadily improved defensively throughout the game.
Unger and teammate Brayden Yager -- who had two assists in the contest -- were in their second game back from the Capital City Challenge, where they won silver with Canada Red.
Jagger Firkus got the Warriors on the board with a beauty at the 13:30 mark of the first. The 17-year-old took a feed from Yager breaking into the Red Deer zone and ripped a shot from the right face-off dot top corner and over Rebels netminder Chase Coward’s shoulder.
Firkus then added his second of the game 9:38 into the second, and it was nearly a case of deja vu. The only difference was Yager’s pass came up ice from along the boards; every other aspect, from shot placement to result, was identical to his first period marker.
The Warriors went ahead 3-0 4:45 into the third, and it was the product of good, old-fashioned effort. Cade Hayes outworked a Red Deer defender along the left low boards and got a pass out to the face-off circle, finding Warriors captain Daemon Hunt johnny-on-the-spot for the one-timer and goal.
The Rebels pulled Coward with just over five minutes remaining looking for their Teddy Bear Toss goal, but Hunt would score his second of the game on a clearing attempt that bounced into the Rebels net three minutes later.
Red Deer took a penalty with 1:51 remaining, and the fans took it upon themselves to get things going with their Toss, leading to about a 15 minute delay as players and volunteers cleared the ice of hundreds upon hundreds of stuffed animals, touques and mittens.
The Warriors will be holding their own Salvation Army Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday, Dec. 11 against the Swift Current Broncos, and fans are asked to bring a new and unwrapped toy to the game to toss on the ice after the first goal. If possible, fans are asked to have their Toss items in plastic bags to keep them safe and protected.
Moose Jaw had 29 shots on Coward, the former Prairie Hockey Academy and Moose Jaw AAA Warriors standout.
The Warriors close out their road swing on Sunday night in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. Game time is 8 p.m.
