nivek_wahs
12-29-2007, 08:36 AM
http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=93416&sc=9
Tribe come out firing on first game of US trip
COREY ATKINSON
The Moose Jaw Times Herald
When a team pours as many shots as the Moose Jaw Warriors did against the Portland Winter Hawks, it’s almost a matter of time before they start going in.
After an early game hiccup that saw the Warriors go down 3-0, the Tribe came from behind to salvage a 4-3 victory at the home of the WHL’s worst team.
The tying and winning goals came from Jordan Knackstedt, but they didn’t come easy for the Warriors. Portland goalkeeper Kurtis Mucha proved to be a solid competitor, facing a whopping 58 shots from Warrior sticks.
“We created as many scoring chances tonight as we have in the last four games prior to this,” said Warriors coach Dave Hunchak.
“We had 58 shots . . . probably 30 of them were quality, point blank. I think we had five or six breakaways and we just couldn’t finish.”
The Warriors fell behind on a goal in the first minute by ex-Warrior Jacob Dietrich are a pair of Warriors got tangled up when Joel Broda’s stick got caught in Keaton Ellerby’s skate.
“Whereas we go down to the other end and (Mucha) is making some unbelievable saves,” said Hunchak. “I wouldn’t say it was a matter of time. There’s no question the game was in question for the first 40 minutes, but I thought we stuck with what we do and were able to grind the game out on the road.
“It wasn’t pretty, I’ll tell you that.”
The Warriors would be down 3-0 early in the second but came back. In working their way back, the Warriors also got goals from Ryley Grantham and Brett Ward. Jason Bast picked up a trio of assists and Frazer McLaren picked up a helper against his former team.
But Hunchak also lauded the work of the team’s depth players.
“I thought young Brian Sommers and Nathan MacMaster on the fourth line . . . played extremely well,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for a lot of guys to play in a lot of key situations. It’s up to them what they do with that opportunity.”
With games coming up Saturday in Everett and Sunday in Seattle, the trip only gets tougher from here.
“We have to be better in our own end,” Hunchak said. “I like some of the things we did tonight offensively, but I thought at times we were pressing too hard, and . . . instead of doing a play that made sense, we tried doing different things because the play that made sense wasn’t working for us. We need to simplify things.”
The type of game the Warriors want to play is more like the last half of this contest, in which the Warriors only allowed five or six shots, Hunchak said.
It’s important to keep in the dogfight at the top of the division, which has the top four teams within seven points of each other.
“We want to keep getting better as the trip goes on,” Hunchak said.
The Warriors close out the road trip with games in Tri-City, Spokane and Kootenay before returning for a Jan. 9 date with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Tribe come out firing on first game of US trip
COREY ATKINSON
The Moose Jaw Times Herald
When a team pours as many shots as the Moose Jaw Warriors did against the Portland Winter Hawks, it’s almost a matter of time before they start going in.
After an early game hiccup that saw the Warriors go down 3-0, the Tribe came from behind to salvage a 4-3 victory at the home of the WHL’s worst team.
The tying and winning goals came from Jordan Knackstedt, but they didn’t come easy for the Warriors. Portland goalkeeper Kurtis Mucha proved to be a solid competitor, facing a whopping 58 shots from Warrior sticks.
“We created as many scoring chances tonight as we have in the last four games prior to this,” said Warriors coach Dave Hunchak.
“We had 58 shots . . . probably 30 of them were quality, point blank. I think we had five or six breakaways and we just couldn’t finish.”
The Warriors fell behind on a goal in the first minute by ex-Warrior Jacob Dietrich are a pair of Warriors got tangled up when Joel Broda’s stick got caught in Keaton Ellerby’s skate.
“Whereas we go down to the other end and (Mucha) is making some unbelievable saves,” said Hunchak. “I wouldn’t say it was a matter of time. There’s no question the game was in question for the first 40 minutes, but I thought we stuck with what we do and were able to grind the game out on the road.
“It wasn’t pretty, I’ll tell you that.”
The Warriors would be down 3-0 early in the second but came back. In working their way back, the Warriors also got goals from Ryley Grantham and Brett Ward. Jason Bast picked up a trio of assists and Frazer McLaren picked up a helper against his former team.
But Hunchak also lauded the work of the team’s depth players.
“I thought young Brian Sommers and Nathan MacMaster on the fourth line . . . played extremely well,” he said.
“It’s an opportunity for a lot of guys to play in a lot of key situations. It’s up to them what they do with that opportunity.”
With games coming up Saturday in Everett and Sunday in Seattle, the trip only gets tougher from here.
“We have to be better in our own end,” Hunchak said. “I like some of the things we did tonight offensively, but I thought at times we were pressing too hard, and . . . instead of doing a play that made sense, we tried doing different things because the play that made sense wasn’t working for us. We need to simplify things.”
The type of game the Warriors want to play is more like the last half of this contest, in which the Warriors only allowed five or six shots, Hunchak said.
It’s important to keep in the dogfight at the top of the division, which has the top four teams within seven points of each other.
“We want to keep getting better as the trip goes on,” Hunchak said.
The Warriors close out the road trip with games in Tri-City, Spokane and Kootenay before returning for a Jan. 9 date with the Brandon Wheat Kings.