MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Oh, what a difference 24 hours makes.
One day after a rough start saw the Saskatoon Blades struggle to get anything going in the first half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference championship against the Moose Jaw Warriors, it was all Saskatoon to start Game 4 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre,
A 3-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old had the Warriors on their heels from the get go, and while the home team was able to battle back and tie the game, the Blades would get a goal from Egor Sidorov 3:29 into overtime to take a 5-4 victory.
As a result, the best-of-seven series is now tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Saskatoon on Friday night.
The Blades took only 14 seconds to get on the board, with the play beginning on a clearing attempt by Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger that went right to Fraser Minton along the boards in the Moose Jaw zone.
The ensuing shot dropped behind Unger into the cease, Brandon Lisowsky was johnny on the spot to poke the puck in and just like that the Blades were in business.
A mere 43 seconds later, it was 2-0. Trevor Wong carried in off the rush and used a Warrior defender for a screen on a shot from the right faceoff circle, beating Unger top shelf and giving Blades a two-goal lead before the ice was even beginning to dry.
Three minutes later, the Warriors had a chance to get back into when Nick Andrusiak took a holding penalty, but Moose Jaw had no zone time, few scoring chances and only two shots on net.
Sure enough, the Blades increased their lead to three immediately after.
Ben Saunderson got off a shot from in close, and Alexander Suzdalev tipped it home for a 3-0 lead at the first media time out at the 8:32 mark.
A tripping penalty to Saunderson at 10:06 gave the Warriors another chance to get back into it, and they’d get one back. A flurry of chances to start the power play eventually resulted in Brayden Yager finding the puck in the high slot at the end of the penalty, and his shot would make it a 3-1 game with 8:53 remaining in first.
The Warriors looked to have gotten back within one with just over three minutes remaining in the first when Jagger Firkus appeared to have scored on a breakaway, but the apparent goal was waved off and the play continued.
Seconds later, Firkus got one for real, finishing off some slick passing wth Yager and Rysavy with a shot top shelf on Evan Gardner.
The craziness continued only 58 seconds later when Tanner Molendyk restored the two-goal lead for Saskatoon, thanks to his shot from the point finding its way through traffic and in.
All told, the Blades would score four goals on seven shots in the opening frame.
A late first period penalty to Molendyk sent the Warriors on their third power play, extending into the second period, and immediately after it expired, Moose Jaw once again made it a one-goal game.
Yager pounced on a rebound off a Firkus shot in the slot, finding the wide-open cage for his 10th of the playoffs and Firkus’ third point of the night to make it a 4-3 game.
Moose Jaw then completed the comeback 9:57 into the second as Rilen Kovacevic outduelled Charlie Wright in front and knocked a puck home five hole. The play was a touch fortuitous for the Warriors as well, as Wright had blocked a shot earlier and had just regained his feet before going to the front of the net.
Saskatoon received their first power play of the game at 16:20 of the second when Kalem Parker took a tripping penalty to prevent a Blades odd man rush, but the Warriors' penalty kill would get the job done.
A slashing penalty to Molendyk put the Warriors on the man advantage with eight minutes gone in the third, but Minten would have the best chance on a breakaway that Unger would make the save on.
There things stood until overtime when Saskatoon caught the most unbelievable of breaks and made the most of it.
Kovacevic attempted to clear the puck out of the Warriors zone, but it bounced off a Blades forecheker back high in the air and land on the stick of Egor Sidorov behind the Moose Jaw defence. The WHL’s playoff goal-scoring leader had all the time in the world to stickhandle his way into beating Unger, and he’d do just that to give the Blades the win.
Gardner finished with 37 saves in the win, including a handful of saves late to preserve overtime, while Unger turned aside 24 shots.
Lisowsky capped his game with a goal and three points, including an assist on Sidorov’s game-winner.
The two teams are right back at it on Friday night for Game 5 in Saskatoon, with Game 6 back in Moose Jaw on Sunday,
