The Moose Jaw Warriors fought hard Saturday but were not able to overcome an aggressive Prince Albert Raiders team and fell 8-4 to the defending league championship at the Art Hauser Centre.

On their first shot of the game, 4:16 into the opening period, the Warriors picked up the game’s first goal.

Alek Sukunda took a shot from the right point, Ryder Korczak stopped the puck, spun to his fore-hand, and then put a shot past Boston Bilous for his fourth of the year.

Prince Albert tied the game at 8:08 when a Nolan Allan point shut snuck through traffic and over the goal line.  54 seconds later, the Raiders Ilya Usau was able to knock in a loose puck on the right side of the Warriors crease to give them the lead.

The Raiders outshot the Warriors 14-2 in the first period and took a 3-1 lead at 17:58 when Usau scored his second of the frame.

Just over a minute into the second period, the Raiders attacked the Moose Jaw net.  With the puck loose on the right side of the net, Brayden Watts was able to tip the puck over the goal line to extend Prince Albert’s lead.

Five minutes later at 5:32, Jadon Joseph was battling the Raiders along the Prince Albert end-boards.

Joseph looked over his should and was able to make a pass to Brayden Tracey inside the right circle where he took a quick shot that found the back of the net.

With five minutes left in the period, the Raiders went back up by three on a goal from Aliaksei Protas.

However, 48 seconds later the Warriors were able to respond.

Ryder Korczak had the puck along the Raiders left boards, he spun away from the Raiders and then made a pass cross ice to Brayden Tracey at the right circle.

Tracey settled the puck down and then moved it down low to Owen Hardy at the bottom left circle.  Hardy drove the net and put a back-hand top shelf, his fourth of the season pulled Moose Jaw back to within two.

Prince Albert picked up goals from Cole Fonstad and Aliaksei Protas in the five and a half minutes to go up by four.

Jadon Joseph scored a power-play goal for the Warriors at the midway point of the period to pull the Warriors back to within three but unfortunately that is as close as they would come as Prince Albert would add another goal inside the final minute of regulation.

Brayden Tracey led the Warriors with a goal and four points, Jadon Joseph and Ryder Korczak had a goal and two points each, and Bailey Brkin made 25 saves.

The Warriors have the rest of the weekend off to enjoy their Thanksgiving, they will go back to work on Tuesday when they take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes for the first time this season.