Minten’s dagger halts Warriors' late-game comeback, chance to advance for Blades
The WHL Eastern Conference Final between the Saskatoon Blades and Moose Jaw Warriors has been full of see-saw momentum shifts, heart-stopping moments, and overtime heroes. Game 5 had all of the above.
“It’s a crazy series, and this one tops them all so far,” said Blades coach Brennan Sonne. “I’m still breathing right now, but it’s pretty wild. Pretty crazy swings for sure.”
After opening the game with one of four unanswered Blades goals, Fraser Minten put the Moose Jaw Warriors on the brink of elimination with his overtime winner in the dying moments of the fourth frame, his second of the series.
“That’s hockey, it’s playoffs,” said Jagger Firkus, who had a goal and an assist in game 5. “It’s ups and downs, especially tonight it shows. Our backs are against the wall right now, so we have nowhere else to go but forward.”
Egor Sidorov, Charlie Wright, and Brandon Lisowsky would score before Warriors goalie Jackson Unger was pulled in favour of Dmitri Fortin late in the second period.
With the Blades up 4-0 on home ice, anyone who’s been watching the series knew the game was far from over.
Less than a minute into the third period, the Warriors were finally rewarded for their effort. Brayden Schuurman crashed the crease and the puck went off his leg and in.
Then on the power play, Matthew Savoie found Jagger Firkus at the top of the circle whose one-timer beat Evan Gardner over his shoulder, 4-2 Blades.
Brandon Lisowsky thought he had the next goal, a long breakaway pass that he tried to slip under Fortin’s pad. But after a lengthy phone call with the video review booth, there was no evidence the puck crossed the line.
The Warriors continued to “punch back” as Blades coach Brennan Sonne called it, and a harmless-looking pass from Denton Mateychuk bounced off the skate of Egor Sidorov in front, 4-3 Blades.
Sonne called a timeout, taking all 20 players off the bench and onto the ice. “Putting everyone on the ice is about full eye contact, body language, conversation,” he said. “Doing that, not just staring at the back of helmets, but looking in the eyes and actually having a conversation with the players at times can be really important in my opinion.”
Mateychuk wasn’t done though, he brought the puck back to the blueline and flung a shot toward the net, beating Gardner through a wall of traffic to tie the game at 4-4 with less than 7 minutes to go in regulation time.
Game five would give fans their fourth taste of overtime hockey in the series, and the Warriors were an inch away from completing the comeback late in the fourth period.
A long breakaway pass found Lynden Lakovic in alone on Gardner, but he spun and passed to a wide-open Atley Calvert. Somehow the puck bounced off the post, off a leg and out of harm’s way. Minutes later, Fraser Minten’s one-timer beat Fortin on the glove side to give the Blades a 3-2 series lead.
“We were just chasing our 11th win, that was our goal,” said Minten, who has two overtime game-winning goals this series. “Job done.”
Despite being one game away from elimination, the Warriors remain calm heading into game 6 in Moose Jaw on Sunday.
“Our effort from start to finish was excellent,” said Mark O’Leary, head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors. “Be excited. We’re coming home and we’re playing good hockey. We give an effort like that again, we’ll be fine.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.