Photo credit - Zachary Peters

Evanoff and Warriors hold off ICE

The Winnipeg ICE left for Moose Jaw on Thursday ahead of a big East Division tilt with the Warriors inside of Mosaic Place on Friday night.

It was the first time Winnipeg has challenged Moose Jaw this season and it didn’t end up going how they would have hoped. The Warriors scored a goal in each of the periods to beat Winnipeg, 3-2 in front of nearly 3000 fans in their home rink.

Adam Evanoff (Andy Devlin)

Adam Evanoff was also exceptional in the game as he made 36 saves and he was rewarded with the win and first-star honours.

“We didn’t like our start tonight, we just got outbattled in the first 10 minutes,” said Connor McClennon after the game courtesy of winnipegice.ca. “We came out good in the second and we pushed in the third, but it was too little, too late.”

Carson Denomie scored the only goal of the first period and it came early. At the 3:45 mark, he scored his fifth of the campaign with David Homola and Kade Runke getting the power play assists.

Moose Jaw held that 1-0 lead late into the second when they increased their lead. With 3:05 left in the midway period, Alek Sukunda beat Jesse Makaj to make it 2-0 Moose Jaw. It was Sukunda’s second goal as a Warrior in the past two seasons.

On a late power play of their own, Winnipeg went into the dressing room feeling good. With just nine seconds left, Michal Teply scored his seventh of the season to trim the deficit to 2-1. Nino Kinder and Connor McClennon notched the assists.

The third period brought a first. Cory King scored his first-ever Western Hockey League goal at the 5:41 mark. Owen Hardy and all-star Brayden Tracey set up King. He played his AAA hockey with the Southwest Cougars and he’s from Souris, Manitoba.

Photo Credit – Zachary Peters

Winnipeg didn’t quit, however. With 1:21 left in the third, Mike Ladyman set up McClennon who scored his fifth of the season to bring the ICE within one goal.

“Mike beat the defender to the puck and slid it to me, it was a good goal to get,” said McClennon.

Moose Jaw would close the door the rest of the way to pick up a 3-2 win. The win moved Moose Jaw within two points of Winnipeg. They’re 8-7-1 for 17 points while Winnipeg is 9-7-1 for 19.

The ICE will get right back at it on Saturday night. They welcome the Regina Pats to the Wayne Fleming Arena.

“We’ll get some rest on the bus and we’ll be prepared to play against Regina,” said McClennon. “All we can do is erase the game against Moose Jaw and get ready for the Pats.”

Makaj stopped 24 shots in the game for Winnipeg. The ICE is 4-3-1 on the road while Moose Jaw is 6-4 on home ice.

The Warriors remain on home ice for a game against Swift Current on Saturday.

  • Evanoff continued his solid play. He’s now 2-0 this season with a .944 save percentage and a 1.92 G.A.A.
  • Both teams went 1-for-3 on the power play.
  • Winnipeg outshot Moose Jaw, 12-9 in the second and 16-3 in the third period.
  • Carson Denomie had a game-high six shots for Moose Jaw.