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In what has been an entertaining series, one more game will decide who will make an appearance in the WHL final.
Lynden Lakovic fired a shot into the Saskatoon net 2:57 into the overtime period on Sunday to earn a 4-3 win and force Game 7 between the Saskatoon Blades and the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“It just goes to show what playoff hockey is all about — back and forth, and this is the fifth game that has gone to overtime, and it shows anything can happen,” Lakovic said. “In a game like that, you just throw it on net and hope something happens, and it did.”
It was only fitting overtime was needed in this contest, as four of the previous five games also needed an extra frame to decide a winner.
Moose Jaw had to post a victory in the game Sunday afternoon after a 5-4 overtime loss that saw them erase a four-goal deficit in the third period on Friday. The series was at 3-2, meaning the Blades were one win away from their first appearance in the WHL Final since 1994.
The Warriors have said their ability to punch back comes from how close they have all become over the years.
“We’re a family. This group has been building together since we were all 16, and we don’t want this road to end,” Lakovic said. “I think we just do it for each other.”
Moose Jaw hasn’t competed for the Ed Chynoweth Cup since the 2005-06 season, and neither team has ever won it.
When Brayden Schuurman met with media after the game, he was wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Why Not Us?” on the back — a slogan that he said helps keep the group focused on their ultimate goal.
“To create history in Moose Jaw. I think this group is really special and I think a lot of these guys have been building this camaraderie as a group and been in Moose Jaw for a long time,” Schuurman said. “Why not Moose Jaw? I think it would be great to bring a championship home to Moose Jaw.”
With their backs against the wall in the must-win contest, Moose Jaw got off to a lightning-fast start. Schuurman scored just 44 seconds into the game, with his fifth goal of the playoffs putting the Warriors up by one.
Saskatoon didn’t take too long to answer back with Egor Sidorov, who leads the WHL playoffs with 15 goals, finding the back of the net.
With just over two minutes left in the opening frame, Schuurman potted his second of the afternoon to once again put the Warriors in the driver’s seat.
In the second period the Blades pounced on the powerplay, with Rowan Calvert getting the puck past Moose Jaw goaltender Jackson Unger. Calvert’s older brother Atley plays on the Warriors, and both are from Moose Jaw originally.
Blades defenceman Charlie Wright banged home the puck with 17 minutes left in the third period to put the Blades up.
Rilen Kovacevic tied things up at three by scoring a goal for the Warriors ahead of Lynden Lakovic’s game winner.
Game 7 is Tuesday at SaskTel Centre. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
“It’s what you dream about as a kid — to go and play Game 7,” Wright said. “It’s going to be fun and it’s going to be electric in that building, I’m sure.”
Saskatoon’s core players are no strangers to Game 7s, needing the deciding game in Rounds 1 and 2 last year.
“For us, it’s to focus on our competitive battles, and that’s the main thing,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “Anything can happen in Game 7. They are wild.”
