MOOSE JAW -- The Moose Jaw Warriors have found themselves on a bit of a roll as of late, and that continued on Friday night against the Regina Pats.
Brady Ness scored the eventual game-winning goal with 8:48 to play in the third period and the Warriors rode a solid showing from goaltender Matthew Hutchison to a 3-2 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
The win gives Moose Jaw five of six points in their last three games and see the Warriors improve to 13-41-5-2 and move within five points of Regina for 10th in the Eastern Conference. Regina fell to 15-38-5-3 with their fifth-straight loss.
The Pats got off to a decent start and had pressure in the early going, but the Warriors would strike first.
Nolan Paquette finished off an extended stint in the Regina zone by getting off a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net with 4:58 gone in the opening frame.
The Pats received the first power play of the contest not long after, and they’d capitalize.
Keets Fawcett got off a shot from the point that Hutchison would stop, but Zach Moore would be in the right spot at the side of the net to put home the rebound at the 7:31 mark.
Cameron Kuzma then gave Regina their first lead in the game, pouncing on a turnover just inside the Pats zone and going in on a two-on-one before putting a shot top shelf blocker side. The go-ahead goal came with seven minutes gone in the second period and just after the Warriors’ first power play of the game.
Moose Jaw would tie the game 2-2 with 1:30 remaining in the period, with Max Finley taking a pass into the slot from Riley Thorpe and flipping the puck over Pats goaltender Ewan Huet’s blocker.
Ness then restored the lead for Moose Jaw, getting off a shot from the point that found the top shelf glove side. The goal was Ness’ first of the season and came with 11:11 to play in the third.
Regina would pull the goaltender with two minutes remaining but wouldn’t get more than a handful of chances as time ran down, and the Warriors would have their one-goal win.
Hutchison finished with 36 saves to earn the win, Huet had 21 saves for Regina
Moose Jaw improved to 5-0-2 on the season against the Pats with the victory, with the season series wrapping up on Saturday in Regina. That contest takes place at 6 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.
