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The Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors are heading to a winner-take-all game five in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League Championship final.
Moose Jaw picked up a decisive 5-1 victory over the Regina Pat Canadians Friday night, evening the best-of-five championship series at two games apiece in front of nearly 2,200 fans at Temple Gardens Centre.
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The Warriors came out flying on home ice, scoring three times in the opening period to seize control early.
Tyler Hudec opened the scoring less than four minutes in before Ryder Gilroy doubled the lead at 7:08. Ryan Gibbs capped the first-period outburst with a late goal to make it 3-0 after 20 minutes.
Head coach Trevor Weisgerber said getting that early advantage was key.
“We came out hard and we did a real good job of finishing, which was nice to get the early lead and we just kind of built on it,” Weisgerber said. “As the game went on… we took control.”
Regina pushed back early in the second period, getting on the board with a power-play goal from Nathan Gardiner to cut the lead to 3-1.
But Moose Jaw answered.
Carson Deichert restored the three-goal cushion midway through the frame before Hudson Sayers added another late in the period to make it 5-1.
Weisgerber noted his team improved as the game progressed, especially after some early turnovers.
“I thought in the first we turned a lot of pucks over and gave them pretty good opportunities, but as the game went on I thought we did a much better job of that,” he said.
After dropping the first two games of the series, the Warriors have leaned into a simpler, more physical style in games three and four.
Ryder Gilroy said the adjustment has made all the difference.
“I think we just shut our brains off and we just went out and played hockey… got pucks deep and finished our checks and just outplayed them,” he said.
“Game one and two, we got out of our game and our game is always just being physical and getting pucks deep.”
With the series now tied, Moose Jaw will head to Regina for a decisive game five this afternoon at Co-operators Arena.
Gilroy said the team believes it can finish the job.
“We have all the confidence in the world. We have a plan and that’s go there and win this championship,” he said.
Weisgerber echoed that confidence, pointing to his group’s resilience after battling back from an early series deficit.
“We knew we have a resilient group… there was no quit in it,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to go there tomorrow with one game to win a championship.”
Friday’s massive crowd gave the Warriors an extra lift in a must-win game.
“It’s electric in there,” Gilroy said. “With this crowd we had tonight, it definitely helps us out there for sure.”
Weisgerber added the atmosphere made a noticeable impact.
“For the city to come behind us and cheer the boys on… you can feel it in the crowd and the atmosphere,” he said. “The boys played very well in front of them.”
After four tightly contested games — including three that went to overtime — the series will now be decided in one final matchup.
Puck drop for game five is set for 12:30 p.m. today in Regina.
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