It was one of those games for the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday night against the Spokane Chiefs.
Spokane scored four goals in the second period and would go on to a 7-4 victory in Western Hockey League action at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, handing the Warriors their second defeat in as many games.
Moose Jaw fell to 3-5-1-0 with the loss and remain tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, while Spokane improved to 8-2-0-0 and moved into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
Spokane opened scoring 2:23 into the game, putting their transition game to good use in the process. Cohen Harris broke out of the Chiefs’ zone on his wing and ended up on a two-on-one with Hayden Paupanekis, who would get off a perfect one-timer for the game’s opening goal.
Smyth Rebman then extended the lead 1:17 later, pouncing on a rebound off a Owen Martin shot from the left face-off circle and beating Warrior goaltender Dimitri Fortin with a shot from the slot low glove side.
The Warriors had chances of their own to get on the board as the period progressed, with Ethan Hughes hitting the crossbar on a partial breakaway and Brayden Yager hitting the post on a chance in close, and they’d break through with just over three minutes remaining in the frame.
Riley Thorpe led a two-on-one rush with Brayden Yager and got of a shot in close that Chiefs netminder Carter Esler would stop, but Aiden Ziprick would put the rebound back on net, leading to Thorpe banging the puck in from the side of the net.
The goal was the first of Thorpe’s WHL career and came with 3:48 to play in the opening period.
Spokane restored their two goal lead 3:38 into the second, with Berkly Catton breaking off the boards into the high slot and putting home a low shot.
The Warriors got that back on the next shift. Pavel McKenzie fished the puck out of a scrum along the boards and got a pass off to Owen Berge breaking up the ice, and his quick shot would beat Esler top shelf blocker side.
Only 1:51 after that goal, the Chiefs went back up by two when Mathis Preston got off a seeing-eyed shot from the blueline that found its way through traffic and into the Warriors net.
Rebman then made it a three-goal lead at the 17:21 mark, finding the puck in traffic in front of the net and getting off a quick shot that Fortin could only get a piece of.
Two minutes later, WHL scoring leader Shea Van Olm made it a 6-2 game, jumping on a turnover in the Chiefs zone and breaking up his wing before putting a perfect shot top shelf glove side.
Preston extended the lead to five goals just over a minute into the third, knocking home a loose puck at the side of the net after a Paupanekis wrap-around attempt.
It was Landen McFadden’s turn for a milestone goal moments after, as he got off a shot through a screen from the left face-off circle that found the top corner glove side. The goal was the Moose Jaw forward's first in the WHL and came at 6:30 of the final period.
Lynden Lakovic then got the Warriors within three 26 seconds later, jumping on the loose puck after a Spokane defender broke his stick and going in on his wing before burying a shot from the right face-off circle.
That would close out scoring, though, and Spokane had their league-leading eighth win of the season.
Fortin finished with 21 saves in two periods of work, Jackson Unger stopped 12 shots in the final period. Esler capped his night with 27 saves.
The Warriors are back in action Friday night when the Medicine Hat Tigers are in two. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
