The Moose Jaw Warriors went toe-to-toe with the Eastern Conference-leading Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday at the Enmax Centre.  The entertaining game needed overtime to decide a winner with the ‘Canes pulling out a 4-3 win.

Brody Willms eared second star in the loss, making 38 saves for the Warriors, while Tanner Faith had two assists and Jesse Shynkaruk, Dryden Hunt and Jayden Halbgewachs all scored.

Early in the game, it didn’t take long for the Hurricanes to flex their muscle as just over a minute in to the game, Brayden Burke and Giorgio Estephan started a pretty passing play around the Moose Jaw zone that ended with a goal for Egor Babenko at the Warriors right crease.

The back-and-forth action continued throughout the period as the teams exchanged scoring opportunities.  Lethbridge had a slight 13-10 advantage on the shot clock and took a 2-0 lead in to the intermission after a goal from Estephan at 14:01.

In the second period, the Hurricanes outshot the Warriors, 13-6, with the majority of those chances coming on a pair of goal mouth scrambles that Willms kept out of the net.

Approaching the six minute mark of the middle period, Willms played the puck to the neutral zone for Landon Quinney along the right wall, he moved the puck to the middle of the Lethbridge zone for Shynkaruk, who deked through a pair of Hurricanes and finished the drive with his eighth goal of the year, pulling the Warriors to within one.

Moose Jaw picked up their game in the third period, outshooting the Hurricanes 19-13.  Eight minutes in to the frame, Hunt picked up a rebound at the left goal line and tossed the puck over the goal line for his team-leading 30th of the season, tying the game at two.

Controversy struck at 12:13 when the Hurricanes tossed the puck to Burke, who appeared to be offside at the Warriors line, the play wasn’t whistled down, and Burke came in on a partial breakaway and shelfed a shot to give the Hurricanes the lead.

Frustration on the non-call didn’t get to the Warriors as just over two minutes later they forced a goal mouth scramble where Halbgewachs pumped in his tenth of the year to tie the game at three.

Both teams had their chances to end the game in regulation, but neither was able to put the other away which sent the game in to overtime.

A power play for the Hurricanes expired just over a minute in to the extra period, the Warriors weren’t able to clear the puck away from their net, and Tyler Wong jumped on a loose puck and put a shot in to the twine to give Lethbridge the win.

The Warriors end their road trip with a record of 1-2-1, but after a tough start, they finished the trip by capturing three of a possible four points on the weekend.

Moose Jaw is off until next weekend now when they open a three-in-three schedule on Friday with a trip to Medicine Hat.  They’re back at home next Saturday against Prince George and then they host the Tigers for a rematch on Sunday.

The coming week is a busy one for the Warriors away from the Friendly City.  On Monday, 2014 draft pick Brandon Armstrong will take part in the PJHL Top Prospects Game, while prospect Dean Stewart will take part in the NHL/CJHL Prospects game on Tuesday.  On Thursday, Brett Howden, Noah Gregor, and Zach Sawchenko will dress in the annual BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects game.