MOOSE JAW, Sask. - For the second time in as many nights, the Moose Jaw Warriors let a third-period lead slip away.
The Seattle Thunderbirds rallied to a 4-3 shootout win over the Warriors in Western Hockey League action Saturday.
Alexander Delnov and Riley Sheen scored in the shootout for the Thunderbirds (8-7-1), while Brendan Rouse, Seth Swenson and Robert Lipsbergs scored in regulation.
Andrew Johnson and Tanner Eberle scored in the first period for Moose Jaw (7-7-4), while Sam Fioretti added one more in the third.
"We definitely want to be known as a team that can close out a game. You want to be tough to play against — especially when you have a lead late in the third period," said Warriors left-winger Jordan Messier. "We have to address it.
"If we play like we played in the first 20 (minutes) we're going to like the result most nights."
Johnson and Eberle staked the Warriors to a 2-0 lead, but Swenson scored for Seattle in the second and Lipsbergs tied the game 3:23 into the third on the power play.
Fioretti's goal put Moose Jaw back on top but Rouse added another power-play goal for the Thunderbirds at 14:43 to force extra time.
"Any time you sit back in this league — it doesn't matter the team — they're going to make you pay for it," said Messier. "We came out hard in the first period and we sat back and let them back in the game and it cost us."
Former Warriors goaltender Brandon Glover made 22 saves for Seattle, while Daniel Wapple stopped 28 shots for Moose Jaw.
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