Tristin Langan had a career night on Wednesday leading the Moose Jaw Warriors with four goals in an 8-3 win over the Calgary Hitmen at Mosaic Place.

“It felt really good, off the start my line was clicking and the puck was finding me, so it felt great getting those,” said Langan after the game.

“Puck kept finding me, good plays from (Jayden Halbgewachs and Tanner Jeannot) and I was able to put them in.”

Langan has been a key contributor for the Warriors since returning from the Christmas break, posting eight goals and 15 points in eight games. His career-high for goals coming into this season was six last year and he has 12 already this season.

“I came back with the mentality that I needed to work harder and compete on the top line here and it’s been working,” said Langan. “It’s really nice to get these points and goals and I’m ready to play wherever on this team.”

The win was a season-high seventh straight for the Warriors. 

It was also the first game back behind the bench for head coach Tim Hunter since returning from the World Juniors. He said the team needs to start focusing more on their defensive game.

“We’ve gave up too much tonight for my liking, shorthanded goal against, shorthanded breakaway against that led to a penalty shot, not good enough, we have to be better than that,” he said.

The game started off back-and-forth with both the Warriors and Hitmen putting pressure on the fore-check.

Calgary opened the scoring with an early goal from Jakob Stukel, as he converted on a short breakaway only 4:22 into the game.

The Warriors continued to pressure offensively and broke through with a power play goal from Tristin Langan just 3:20 after the Hitmen's opening goal.

Langan kept going to the net throughout the rest of the period and he potted two more goals in the final six minutes of the first for a natural hat trick, giving him 11 goals on the year.

Calgary attacked the Warriors on the opening shift of the second period, but weren’t able to capitalize on their chances.

The Hitmen were given an early power play, but it was the Warriors who got the rewards as Justin Almeida scored his 25th of the year and Moose Jaw’s WHL-leading 13th shorthanded goal to make it 4-1.

Just over a minute later the line of Tristyn DeRoose, Tyler Smithies, and Brecon Wood created a turnover in the neutral zone, Smithies and Wood came across the Calgary line on an odd-man rush that ended with Wood’s second goal of the year.

Under three minutes later, at 8:08, Tanner Jeannot led another rush up the ice for the Warriors, he came in on the left wing and as he drove inside the circle he dropped the puck back to Jayden Halbgewachs, who made a quick pass over to Langan at the bottom of the right circle where he scored his fourth of the game to make it 6-1.

That goal chased Calgary starter Nick Schneider from the game, the 20-year-old signed prospect of the Calgary Flames allowed six goals on 22 shots.

Late in the period, the Hitmen grabbed some life when they went back on the power play as Luke Coleman broke up a Warriors clearing attempt on the left wall and made a quick pass to Carson Focht on top of the right crease where he lifted in a goal to make it 6-2.

At 8:29 of the third period, the Warriors were on the power play, Oleg Sosunov dangled off the right boards and maneuvered the puck inside the circle, he then swung the puck over to Tyler Smithies on the inside of the left circle where he snapped in his first WHL goal.

Calgary picked up their third goal of the game when Stukel was given a penalty shot, while on the penalty kill and was able to convert for his second goal of the game.

In the final four minutes of the game, the Warriors added a wrap-around goal from Tate Popple and went on to their 34th win of the season.

Langan finished with four goals, Halbgewachs and Jeannot picked up three assists each, while Tyler Smithies had a goal and two points.

Moose Jaw outshot the Hitmen 34-20. They were 2-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill, and both teams had shorthanded goals.

Moose Jaw will have Thursday off to get ready for a three-game in three-day weekend.  On Friday, they’ll take on the Edmonton Oil Kings at Mosaic Place; then on Saturday, they head up to Prince Albert; and then the hectic schedule wraps up on Sunday when Medicine Hat comes to town.