Annihilation Complete
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Hot take:
I was cheering for Lethbridge to beat Moose Jaw in Game 4 at the Hurricanes’ Enmax Centre.
Not because I like the Hurricanes or anything. Simply because I wanted to go to game five in Moose Jaw and watch the Warriors finish the series off here in Moose Jaw.
This marks an extremely rare occasion where I root for the opposition.
That being said; the Moose Jaw Warriors were have been extremely good over the first three games of the first round, winning all three and out scoring the Canes 13-4 in the process.
Soit would also be nice to see them close out the series in style in and carry that success over into the second round.
What a quandary.
Dilemma
One key chance the Hurricanes made entering game 4 was to start Harrison Meneghin in net, rather then the Moose Javian Bryan Thomson, who struggled in his previous outing.
What the Hurricanes we’re about to find out was that Thomson wasn’t the problem.
The outcome with Meneghin would be no different.
It didn’t matter which goalie they played, the Warriors were simply on another level; no goaltender is good enough to have won this for the Canes.
For the first time in the series though Lethbridge took a lead.
Tyson Zimmer scored at 8:50.
However, the lead didn’t last very long because Brayden Yager scored shortly thereafter; a beneficiary of some slick passing from Martin Rysavy and Jagger Firkus. Nobody’s got the moves like Yager.
Brayden Yager scored twice - photo credit Moose Jaw Warriors Twitter
The Warriors continued with the spectacular play in Period 2, scoring in the fifth minute to take the lead.
The goal came when a Maximus Wanner wrist shot trickled past Meneghin.
Jagger Firkus recorded an assist on the goal. His second assist of the game and tenth point of the series. Phenomenal numbers. Nobody has the moves like Jagger.
Jagger Firkus has been incredible
A couple minutes after Wanner’s goal the tribe was put in the unenviable position of having to kill a Five Minute Major.
Bobzilla Baco was rewarded with a Game Misconduct for crashing the Hurricanes net. On a positive note, the Warriors defence was stoic and prevented any goals.
Unfortunately, Lethbridge did score though. Hayden Smith evened the score in the waning minutes of Period 2.
But just when people starting thinking that maybe the Hurricanes had a chance of dragging this out into Game 5 Lynden Lakovic snuck a puck passed Meneghin on the short side.
The Warriors were out front, with ten minutes left, looking like Round 2 was in the works.
Lynden Lakovic gave the Warriors the lead in the third period - photo credit Twitter
Lakovic’s goal was the difference maker. From there on out it was all Warriors.
They’d weathered the storm, rode the Hurricane to safer waters, quashed the resistance.
Denton Mateychuk fired home a rebound from a Max Wanner shot in the 14th minute, putting it out of range.
Then, with the net empty Brayden Yager scored his second of the night. Lethbridge never had a chance
Moose Jaw Warriors win 5-2, completing the sweep and eliminating the Lethbridge Hurricanes from the playoffs.
The entire series showed a tremendous display of skill from the good guys, which bodes extremely well in the future.
The Warriors completely dominated the Hurricanes in every aspect of the game and won the series with relative ease.
It’s uncertain who the Warriors will face in Round 2.
Winnipeg is the top team and they completed a 4-0 sweep of Medicine Hat. Red Deer, who is beating Calgary 3-1, was second place. Moose Jaw will battle one of those two clubs,
it just depends on what happens in the Saskatoon Blades-Regina Pats series. Currently that series is even, at 2 games apiece.
If Regina pulls off the upset, then, due to a re-shuffling, the Warriors would draw the Rebels (assuming the Rebels finish off the Hitmen).
However, if the Blades find a path to victory then Moose Jaw will play Winnipeg. In either situation, the Warriors will NOT have home ice advantage.
Either option will be tough.
Winnipeg was the better team during the season but the Warriors had far more success against them then they did Red Deer.
Stay tuned for updates.