Lakovic’s OT winner keeps Warriors alive against Blades

WHL’s Eastern Conference final goes to Game 7

Lynden Lakovic reacts to scoring the OT winner for the Warriors.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. - Lynden Lakovic kept the Moose Jaw Warriors and one of the greatest WHL post-season series of all-time alive.

On Sunday, the Warriors went into Game 6 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series facing elimination against the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades entered the contest leading the best-of-seven set 3-2. The Warriors went into contest backed by most of a vocal gathering of 4,582 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre outside of a sizable following that was cheering for the Blades.

Living up to a fitting way with how the series has gone, Game 6 went to overtime with the two sides locked in a 3-3 tie. That marked the fifth in the series that overtime was needed to decide a game’s final outcome.

The Warriors and their fans mob OT hero Lynden Lakovic.

Lakovic’s moment came early in the extra session. Just 2:57 into the extra session, the 17-year-old sophomore right-winger had the deep in the right corner of the Saskatoon zone.

Facing a sharp shooting angle, Lakovic wired home the winning goal to the top right corner of the Saskatoon net short side on Blades breakout netminder Evan Gardner. Lakovic’s tally gave the Warriors a 4-3 win in the contest and allowed them to even the series 3-3.

Fittingly, the two sides are now forced to play a series deciding Game 7 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Warriors fans cheer their team’s overtime winner.

“It just goes to show you what playoff hockey is all about,” said Lakovic. “It is back and forth.

“This is the fifth game that has gone to overtime. It shows anything can happen. In a game like that, you kind of just throw it on net and hope something happens, and tonight, it did.”

Lakovic had one other overtime winner in this post-season. That tally came back on March 30, when the Warriors downed the Brandon Wheat Kings 5-4 in Game 2 of an opening round series at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Lynden Lakovic has two OT winners in the 2024 post-season.

He said Sunday’s overtime winner against the Blades sits at the top in his career.

“It was probably the biggest one,” said Lakovic. “This happened to be my second (overtime) game winner these playoffs.

“This is definitely up there. You are not going to get another chance like this probably ever again. To come up clutch and do it not just for myself but the guys more importantly is huge.”

Blades 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright said he had it in the back of his mind that the series was destined to go to Game 7 with how competitive it has been. He said his teammates were doing their best to try and win the Eastern Conference title on Sunday, but a suspicion was there a Game 7 was going to happen.

Charlie Wright scored to give the Blades a third period lead.

“To be honest it did,” said Wright. “Obviously, we were hoping to end it tonight, but things happen.

“It did feel like it was destined to go seven.”

The Warriors got the quick jump in Sunday’s clash scoring 38 seconds into the first period. Warriors right-winger Rilen Kovacevic had the puck at the left corner of the Saskatoon zone and made a pass across the face of the Blades goal to veteran centre Brayden Schuurman at the right side of the net.

Schuurman tapped home his fifth of the post-season to give the Warriors a 1-0 edge. That lead didn’t last long.

Rilen Kovacevic had a goal and two assists for the Warriors.

Just 3:07 later, Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov circled in the Moose Jaw zone for a midrange shot from the front of the net. Sidorov wired home his league leading 15^th goal of the post-season to even the score at 1-1.

Warriors star centre Matthew Savoie had a great chance to put the Warriors back out in front, when he put a backhand shot to a seemingly open side of the Saskatoon net with about 5:03 remaining in the frame. Gardner made a stretching right pad save to stone the chance.

A short time later, Savoie tried put a shot home at the right side of the Saskatoon goal, but Gardner made a shoulder stop to deny the opportunity.

With 2:02 remaining in the first, Kovacevic entered the Saskatoon zone on a rush down the right wing and tried to put a pass across the ice to a linemate. 

Brayden Schuurman scored a pair of goals for the Warriors.

The pass was broken up by Wright, but Wright poked the puck right on to the stick of Schuurman. Schuurman blew home a shot from the front of the Saskatoon net to put the Warriors up 2-1 heading into the second intermission.

“To contribute to my team in any way is obviously good,” said Schuurman. “Getting them going early with a goal is obviously a really good feeling for our group and for me.”

The Blades came with a big push back in the second period holding a 13-8 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

With 4:14 remaining in the second, the Blades evened the score at 2-2 with a power-play goal from Rowan Calvert. During a mad scramble in front of the Moose Jaw net, Calvert potted home a loose puck for the equalizer and his third of the post-season.

Egor Sidorov had a goal and two assists for the Blades.

Blades head coach Brennan Sonne thought his squad was trending in a good direction as the game went on.

“It got better as we went I would say,” said Sonne, who squad finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 50-13-2-3 mark. “I didn’t think it was there to start, but it got better as we went.”

At the three-minute mark of the third, the Blades took a 3-2 lead on a smart offensive pinch from Wright. Entering the Moose Jaw zone on an offensive rush, Blades captain Trevor Wong jetted down the left wing with the puck.

He passed the puck to the front of the net to Wright, who rushed in from his defensive position. Wright tapped home his fifth of the post-season to give the Blades their one-goal edge.

Rowan Calvert celebrates scoring an equalizer for the Blades.

The Warriors didn’t go away. With 9:04 remaining in the third, Kovacevic threw a shot from the right side boards that deflected off Wright and got past Gardner to even the score at 3-3. Reflecting on the sequence where he scored and the Warriors equalizer deflected in off him, Wright said he was just determined to keep grinding.

“I think everyone always hopes that when you are up it is going to hold,” said Wright. “They get a lucky one off my pants.

“I get one in one end, and it goes off me into our net. I think you just keep playing.”

Ultimately, the exchange of goals in the third set the stage for overtime.

Evan Gardner made 31 saves in goal for the Blades.

Early in overtime, Blades centre Lukas Hansen drove into the Moose Jaw zone down the right wing and he took a shot that deflected off Warriors offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker going to the Moose Jaw net, but Warriors star netminder Jackson Unger came up with the stop.

Lakovic would proceed to score his winner just over 50 second later.

“It was a fun game,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary, whose squad finished fifth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 44-21-0-3 mark. “I think it had everything that this series has had you know the momentum swings and goals on both sides.

“It is fun. I think our guys they’re playing hard. Maybe tonight wasn’t our most clean game.

Jackson Unger made 30 saves in goal for the Warriors.

“The last two I thought we played better games. When you are going to play seven games, you are going to have nights like this where last shot wins.”

Gardner turned away 31 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades. Unger stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors.

Sidorov had a pair of assists to go with his goal. Kovacevic had a pair of assist to go with his tally.

Now the focus for both club turns to Game 7. The Blades won two Game 7s last year to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship Series before falling to the Winnipeg Ice. Sonne believes the past experience will help his club.

“We’ve been here before,” said Sonne. “This group went to multiple Game 7s last year.

Denton Mateychuk controls the puck for the Warriors.

“For us, it is really just to focus on our competitive habits that would be the main thing.”

O’Leary believes having a Game 7 is ultimately the right way for the Eastern Conference Championship Series between the Blades and Warriors to conclude.

“I said this when it was 2-2 that if you told me it was going to be 2-2 I would have believed you,” said O’Leary. “You can say the same thing about 3-3.

“I just think that both teams played each other so well in the regular season. We bring out the best in each other I think. It is competitive.

The Warriors salute their fans after their OT win on Sunday.

“It just feels like the Western Hockey League. It is just good hockey, and why not play seven?”

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