The Kootenay Ice extended their win streak to six games, beating the Warriors 3-1 on Wendesday night in Moose Jaw.
In addition to their sixth straight win, the Ice have also won 10 of their last 11 outings, which has helped them climb up the Eastern Conference standings, where they currently sit in fifth place—one point outside of fourth.
Ice captain Sam Reinhart led the way with a pair of goals and an assist, with Jaedon Descheneau notching the other goal for the Kootenay offence. Torrin White responded with the lone marker for the Warriors on the powerplay.
Mackenzie Skapski got the call in goal, making 34 saves for the win, while Justin Paulic turned away 35 shots in defeat for Moose Jaw.
Both teams capitalized once in four chances with the man-advantage.
Despite the win, Kootenay Ice head coach Ryan McGill said the team nearly blew it near the end of the game.
“I think we were excellent in the first period, we were excellent in the second period, and we absolutely did not show up in the third period,” McGill said.
Just one minute into the game, Reinhart and Zach Franko combined to get the puck to Descheneau, who wired his 36th goal of the season past Paulic for a quick 1-0 lead.
Reinhart’s assist on the play officially extended his point streak to 14 games.
In the middle frame, Kootenay went on a streak of four uninterrupted powerplays, scoring on their second chance with the man-advantage, when Reinhart redirected a hard pass from Descheneau for a 2-0 lead.
However, the tide turned in the final frame, as Kootenay took their turn to parade to the penalty box, with Moose Jaw getting four straight power plays.
The Tribe capitalized on their first chance with the man-advantage, as a shot from Torrin White deflected off an Ice skate and into the net.
Though Moose Jaw pressed hard late in the game for the equalizer, Reinhart found the back of an empty net in the final minute to seal up the win.
In addition to picking up WHL Player of the Week on Monday, Reinhart was also named the CHL Player of the Week on Tuesday. As part of the recognition, the CHL cited his goal and four assists against the Blades last week, along with his three-point performances in both games against the Lethbridge Hurricanes this past weekend.
Kootenay now heads to Regina for a tilt against the Pats on Wednesday night.
NOTES: Ice sniper Tim Bozon left the game in the third period, however, McGill is hopeful that he will get back into the lineup for the rest of the road trip. Ice forward Ryan Chynoweth returned from an upper body injury after missing six games.