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| Brayden Burke has had a big post-season for the Warriors. |
Finishing first and second respectively in the WHL’s regular
season standings, the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Swift Current Broncos are
staging a classic heavyweight tilt in their best-of-seven WHL Eastern
Conference semifinal playoff series. After the four games, the series is tied
2-2 with Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.
Game 6 follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation
Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. If necessary, Game 7 is slated for Monday
at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.
The Warriors finished first overall in the WHL posting a
52-15-2-3 record in the regular season, while the Broncos are second overall
with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Due to the fact the two club’s play out of the WHL’s
East Division, the latest they could meet under the circuit’s current playoff
format was in the second round.
While it easy to lament this series isn’t determining a
conference or league champion, the stellar efforts of both sides shouldn’t be
forgotten in the here and now.
 |
| Matteo Gennaro is starting to heat up for the Broncos. |
In the Warriors first round series win over the Prince
Albert Raiders that went a marathon seven games, Burke was the difference maker
on many nights. The Edmonton, Alta., product was the difference maker again on
Tuesday netting two goals, two assists and posting a plus-three rating in the
plus-minus department as the Warriors prevailed 4-3 in overtime at the
Innovation Credit Union i-plex.
Burke came to the Warriors in an early season trade in the
2016-17 campaign in a deal with the Lethbridge Hurricanes with some baggage surrounding
questions about his character and maturity.
He has been outstanding for the Warriors on and off the ice
this season posting 31 goals, 82 assists and a plus-44 rating in 61 regular
season games. His goal, point and plus-minus totals were all career highs and
his assist total matched a career high.
Burke, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, has been
a standup person for the Warriors answering questions in a mature and
thoughtful fashion win or lose. For those that have dealt with him over his
four complete seasons in the league, he has visibly grown from a boy into a man,
and he is every bit deserving of the three-year NHL entry-level contract he
signed with the Arizona Coyotes on March 1.
 |
| Brett Howden scored the OT winner on Tuesday. |
Warriors captain Brett Howden scored the overtime winner on
Tuesday night netting a pair of goals, an assist and a plus-two rating in the
win. He has two goals and four assists in the first four games of the series
and is trying to do his best to leave the WHL on a high note.
The Oakbank, Man., product is eligible to return for an overage
season, but having signed a three-year NHL entry-level contract with the Tampa
Bay Lightning, Howden’s return to the major junior ranks is not expected next
season.
On Swift Current’s side, overage centre Matteo Gennaro, who
was acquired in a trade with the Calgary Hitmen earlier this season, is
starting to catch fire. The St. Albert, Alta., product had a goal in Tuesday’s
overtime time loss to the Warriors. On Wednesday, he scored all three of Swift
Current’s goals in a 3-2 double overtime win at the Innovation Credit Union
i-plex.
Gennaro’s winner was a laser beam from the right slot.
His performance became that much more important when the
Broncos star right-winger Tyler Steenbergen went down due to injury early in
the first period after being hit with a point shot from teammate Sahvan Khaira
in the offensive zone.
Netminder Stuart Skinner, who was acquired by the Broncos in
a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Jan. 9, made 51 saves to secure the
win for Swift Current on Wednesday. Skinner backed the Hurricanes to an
appearance in the WHL Eastern Conference championship series.
 |
| Stuart Skinner made 51 saves in a win on Wednesday. |
Before Game 2 on Saturday in Moose Jaw, a moment of silence
was observed at Mosaic Place, where the players from the Warriors and Swift
Current Broncos rounded the centre ice circle in a show of support for the SJHL
club. The equipment staff on both the Moose Jaw and Swift Current sides worked
tirelessly and together to insert the Humboldt Broncos team logo on to the
helmets of their players.
Gennaro has been playing with a heavy heart having lost
close friend Stephen Wack in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and he mentioned his feelings on his Twitter account and post-game media interviews. Wack, who was also
from St. Albert, was a defenceman with the Humboldt squad.
Going forward, the series between Moose Jaw and Swift Current
is a tossup. For those going to the final contests to close out this series,
they will likely see some stellar games no matter who wins.
Wouters up for scholastic player of the year
 |
| Blades centre Chase Wouters is up for a major WHL award. |
The 18-year-old finished up his second complete season in
the WHL netting 18 goals, 33 assists and a plus-seven rating in the plus-minus
department appearing in all of the Blades 72 regular season games. The
assistant captain has posted an 89 per-cent average so far in his Grade 12 year
in high school.
Wouters, who stands 6-feet and weighs 177 pounds, was ranked
103rd among North American skaters in the midterm rankings for NHL
Central Scouting. He is currently in Russia taking part in the Hockey Canada’s
training camp for under-18 world championships along with Blades teammates
centre Kirby Dach and netminder Nolan Maier. The under-18 world championships
run April 19 to 29 in Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk, Russia.
On a league level for overall scholastic player of the year,
Wouters will up against Spokane Chiefs defenceman Ty Smith, who was named the
scholastic player of the year for the WHL’s Western Conference.
The Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy for the WHL’s
scholastic player of the year will be handed along with all the other league’s
major awards on May 2 in Red Deer, Alta.
The last member of the Blades to be named the WHL’s
scholastic player of the year was defenceman Nelson Nogier back in the 2013-14
campaign.
Back in the Express with a story on Jockims
 |
| Kaitlin Jockims helped the Star win a SFMAAAHL title. |
The 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Centennial High School
is a star guard for the Chargers senior girls’ basketball team and a standout
winger on the Saskatoon Stars female midget AAA hockey team. Jockims has played
in the provincial team program for both basketball and hockey.
This season, Jockims helped the Chargers earn a berth in
Hoopla, which is the Saskatchewan provincial high school basketball championship
tournament, held in late March in Prince Albert. She aided the Stars in winning
their third Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League title in the last four
years and earn a berth at the Esso Cup national female midget AAA hockey
championship tournament for the third time in the last four years.
The Esso Cup runs April 22 to 28 in Bridgewater, N.S.
She recently attended a tryout camp for Canada’s under-17
girls’ basketball team in Toronto, Ont.
Jockims father is Greg Jockims, who guided the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies men’s basketball team to a U Sports national title in 2010
as head coach.
The story on Kaitlin Jockims can be found right here.
Drinnan’s Humboldt Broncos piece to appear
in the Express
Last Friday, the Broncos bus was involved in an accident with
a semi-truck just north of Tisdale. The crash resulted in the deaths of 16
players and team staffers from the club.
In a tribute for the team, people across Canada and I dare
say the world have been placing hockey sticks outside of their homes at night
for the deceased Broncos players to use in the afterlife.
Drinnan wrote a piece about the members of the team who have
passed on playing a game in the afterlife. It was an outstanding read and has
receive much praise.
It will appear in the hard copy of the Saskatoon Express
next week. Drinnan’s piece online can be found right here.
Everyone heals differently, I’m ready to
travel
 |
| Just taking a quick selfie out on the WHL circuit. |
Everyone has to be allowed to heal up and move on with their
own time.
On Wednesday, the board of governors of the Saskatchewan
Junior Hockey League, which the Broncos are part of, voted unanimously to
continue with the league’s playoffs. The best-of-seven Canalta Cup league
championship series will be played between the Nipawin Hawks and the Estevan
Bruins beginning on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Nipawin.
The Broncos at the time of their crash were playing the
Hawks in a best-of-seven league semifinal series on the junior A circuit, which
the Hawks were leading 3-1. The Humboldt squad was on the way to Nipawin for
Game 5 of that series when the bus accident occurred.
I am all in favour of this move by the SJHL. I believe playing
the games will help the overall healing process.
On Tuesday, I wrote about my experiences riding on the team
bus with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. I know a lot of people might have
fear getting back on a team bus after what happened, and that is understandable.
For myself, I would be and am ready to get back on a team
bus again. That atmosphere and experiences for me have always been positive on
team busses, and I will take advantage of that experience every chance I get.
The only downfall for me is that fact I have never been the
best when it comes to sleeping on the bus. I always battle trying to fall
asleep, but that is only a small nuisance.
On a solo front, I am actually itching to get on the road to
cover a sporting event. I have always enjoyed heading out to different
communities especially in the WHL circuit. I hope I get to make my next trip
soon.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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