SAGINAW, Mich. - The Moose Jaw Warriors were thrilled to qualify for their first Memorial Cup tournament.
The Western Hockey League champions from Saskatchewan were even more excited to record their first win as they defeated the Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-3 on Tuesday night in a must-win battle for both winless teams at Dow Event Center.
The Warriors, who grabbed an early 3-0 lead on goals by Vojtech Port, Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychuk, needed an Aiden Ziprick goal at 18:26 of the third period to avoid overtime. Brayden Yager added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left on the clock.
The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Voltigeurs, who stormed back to tie the game with goals from Justin Cote, Peter Repcik and Alexis Gendron, outshot the Warriors 52-28, including 26-6 in the third period.
Netminder Jackson Unger stopped 49 of 52 shots for Moose Jaw, while Riley Mercer stopped 23 of 27 shots in the Voltigeurs' net.
The Warriors led 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 heading into the third.
Aiden Ziprick, The penalty kill specialist! #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/MU0JcCK6hp
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) May 29, 2024