Moose Jaw tries to push Portland to the brink in WHL Championship Series on TSN
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The Moose Jaw Warriors look to jump out to a 3-0 series lead against the Portland Winterhawks in Game 3 of the Western Hockey League Championship Series on Tuesday.
This will be the first time Moose Jaw has hosted a Championship Series game since 2006.
Moose Jaw gave themselves a 2-0 series advantage after sneaking by the Winterhawks 3-2 in Game 1 on Friday and taking Game 2 5-1 on Saturday.
WHL player of the year Jagger Firkus led the way in Game 2 with two goals and an assist. The Seattle Kraken prospect leads the playoffs with 14 goals and 31 points.
Rookie Pavel McKenzie had the game-winning goal while Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick Brayden Yager and overage forward Atley Calvert also scored for the Warriors.
"Each guy had contributions early on in the game and I just thought we sustained it for the most part for 60 minutes," Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary told reporters after the game. "We talked all day about what we were going to expect from Portland and I just thought we came ready to go."
Nate Danielson scored the lone goal for Portland in the loss. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick leads the Winterhawks in the playoffs with six goals and 22 points.
Moose Jaw's Jackson Unger was solid in the victory, making 37 of 38 saves. He now has a 14-3 record in the playoffs with a 2.95 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
Jan Spunar took his second straight loss for the Winterhawks after allowing five goals on 27 shots. He has a 12-4 playoff record with a 2.53 GAA and .917 save percentage.
After Tuesday's contest, Game 4 will take place Wednesday in Moose Jaw at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and that game can be seen on TSN, the exclusive home of the CHL Championship Series.