Warriors captain Yager in obvious trade bait position

Brayden Yager with the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 15.

Could Brayden Yager’s days with the Moose Jaw Warriors be numbered?

You can expect that question will continue to be asked as Yager’s Moose Jaw Warriors continue to struggle. Heading into action on Tuesday, the Warriors sat last in the entire WHL with a 5-14-3-1 record.

Of course last season, the Warriors finished fifth overall in the WHL with a 44-21-0-3 mark, and in the post-season, they would win the WHL championship and advance to the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup – for the first time in team history. When that campaign concluded, the Warriors graduated a whole host of key players including WHL scoring leader Jagger Firkus, Atley Calvert, captain Denton Mateychuk, Matthew Savoie, Martin Rysavy and Lucas Brenton.

Over the past two weeks Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger traded away a pair of veteran defencemen to collect draft capital and get a little younger. On November 15, the Warriors dealt 19-year-old Czech import defenceman and prospect of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks in Vojtech Port to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for 18-year-old defenceman Ryder Ellis, a third round selection in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a second round pick in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

On November 17, the Warriors made a bigger deal sending 20-year-old offensive defenceman and Minnesota Wild prospect Kalem Parker to the Calgary Hitmen for 15-year-old prospects centre Nathan Gardiner, a second round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft and third and seventh round picks in the 2026 Prospect Draft. When Parker got traded, it left a feeling that Yager might possibly be dealt at some time too before the trade deadline on January 9, 2025 at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.

Warriors fly to new heights in memorable 2023-24 campaign

The Warriors raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup on May 15 at their home rink.

Jagger Firkus and Brayden Yager got to add an epilogue to a season to remember for the Moose Jaw Warriors.

On Saturday, the two Warriors stars took home some big hardware at the CHL Awards ceremony held at Uptown North Main in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Firkus, who is a skilled right-winger, was named the winner of the David Branch Player of the Year Award along with officially being handed the Top Scorer Award. Yager, who is a gifted centre, took home the Sportsman Player of the Year Award.

Firkus, who turned 20-years-old in late April, topped the entire CHL in regular season scoring with 126 points coming off 61 goals and 65 assists to go with a plus-31 rating in 63 games with the Warriors. The Irma, Alta., product became the first member of the Warriors to ever take the CHL’s player of the year award.

He was the second player from the Warriors to capture the Top Scorer Award, which was first presented in 1994. Jayden Halbgewachs took that honour in the 2017-18 campaign.

Brayden Yager is the CHL’s Sportsman Player of the Year.

Yager, who turned 19-years-old in early January, had a stellar campaign setting career highs in the regular season in goals (35), assists (60), points (95) and plus-minus (plus-19) in 57 games. He collected only 20 penalty minutes on the campaign.

The Saskatoon area product became the third Warriors player to capture the Sportsman Player of the Year Award. Jason Bast first took that honour back in the 2009-10 campaign, and Justin Almeida took home that award in the 2018-19 campaign.

Both Firkus and Yager were members of Canada’s world junior team this past season too.

The award wins came one day after the Warriors saw their historic for the franchise campaign come to an end. On Friday, the Warriors fell 7-1 in the semifinal contest the Memorial Cup tournament being held at the DOW Event Centre in Saginaw, Michigan, to the host Spirit from the OHL.

The Spirit will face the OHL champion London Knights for the CHL title in the Memorial Cup championship game on Sunday (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

In 2023-24, the Warriors hit the ice with one of the most talented and deepest teams they’ve ever had. They finished fifth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 44-21-0-3 mark.

Jagger Firkus is the CHL’s player of the year.

The Warriors went on an inspired post-season run posting a 16-4 record in the WHL Playoffs to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup and become WHL champions for the first time in team history. They became the first team from Moose Jaw to capture the WHL title since the Moose Jaw Canucks claimed the league crown in the circuit’s inaugural campaign in 1966-67.

On the way to getting to the WHL Championship Series, the Warriors took an epic Eastern Conference Championship Series against the Saskatoon Blades in seven games. A total of six of the seven games in that set were decided in overtime, which is a WHL record for a seven-game series.

The Blades topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and led the series with the Warriors 3-2. The Warriors claimed the series thanks to a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 in Moose Jaw and 3-2 overtime triumph in Game 7 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

Warriors 17-year-old sophomore right-winger Lynden Lakovic had the extra time winner in both of those contests. The 13,240 spectators that attended Game 7 in Saskatoon of that series included five fan busses of Warriors supporters who made the trip to the contest from Moose Jaw.

Moose Jaw proceeded to sweep the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL final. The Warriors series clinching victory in Game 4 of that set on May 15 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre played out in almost perfect fashion for the team and fans.

Atley Calvert was a star with his hometown Warriors.

The Warriors and Winterhawks were locked in a 2-2 tie until veteran centre Brayden Schuurman scored for the Moose Jaw side with 5:53 remaining in the third period. Warriors standout overage import left-winger Martin Rysavy sealed victory and the 4-2 final score in his squad’s favour potting a long distance empty-net goal from deep in his own zone with 2:27 remaining in the third.

Over the final 2:27 of the third, the victory was able to sink in for the Warriors and the 4,732 spectators jammed into the team’s home rink. The noise in “The Hangar” after the third period clock hit zero would rival the loudest noise levels ever heard in the club’s raucous old home arena the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, which was best known as “The Crushed Can.”

The impossible dream came true with the Warriors becoming WHL champions. Warriors captain and star defenceman Denton Mateychuk was named the MVP of the WHL Playoffs. In the Warriors 20 outings in the WHL Playoffs, Mateychuk collected 30 points coming off 11 goals and 19 assists to go with a plus-19 rating.

He followed up on an impressive regular season where he recorded 75 points on 17 goals and 58 assists to go with a plus-35 rating. Mateychuk was also a member of Canada’s world junior team this past season too.

Martin Rysavy (#19) had some key goals for the Warriors.

Playing at the Memorial Cup for the first time in team history, the Warriors dropped their first round robin game to the Spirit and second round robin contest to the Knights by respective 5-4 scores in both outings.

The Warriors picked up their first ever win at the Memorial Cup tournament in their third round robin game downing the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-3. That win allowed Moose Jaw to earn a berth in the event’s semifinal game.

With how close Moose Jaw’s first two games were against OHL foes, there was pretty good optimism going into the semifinal clash with the Spirit. No one could have seen the Spirit’s fourth line that included centre Ethan Hay, right-winger Lincoln Moore and left-winger Sebastien Gervais going out and having their best games of their major junior careers.

In Saginaw’s 7-1 win, Hay, Moore and Gervais combined to collect four goals and six assists. They each posted a plus-four rating. They were also all pointless at the Memorial Cup tournament going into that semifinal encounter. 

Hay, Moore and Gervais should rightfully get full credit to raising their respective games in one of the biggest contests you can play in as a major junior player.

Lucas Brenon was a steady defenceman for the Warriors.

Still, the memories were plentiful in Moose Jaw. Netminder Jackson Unger took over as the team’s starter in his third major junior campaign, and he grew into a star performer.

Star right-winger Atley Calvert, who has now exhausted his major junior eligibility, will be remembered as one of the best hometown products to ever play for the Warriors. Star centre Matthew Savoie came to the Warriors in a trade with the Wenatchee Wild and played to his billing as one of the WHL’s top players.

The Warriors third line of Schuurman, left-winger Ethan Semeniuk and right-winger Rilen Kovacevic became difference makers in the post-season.

Rysavy and defenceman Lucas Brenton took their final bows before exhausting their major junior ability. Offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker came in a trade early in the campaign with the Victoria Royals and formed a dynamic back end pairing with Mateychuk. 

Blue-liners Aiden Ziprick, import Vojtech Port and Cosmo Wilson added contributions at key moments.

Warriors fans enjoy their team’s WHL title win on May 15.

Head coach Mark O’Leary and general manager Jason Ripplinger did an outstanding job ensuring the Warriors were steered in the right direction.

For the Warriors faithful, they got a season they deserved. When the Warriors arrived in Moose Jaw at the start of the 1984-85 campaign after spending four seasons in Winnipeg, they only had four winning records in their first 16 seasons in Moose Jaw.

The small Saskatchewan city of 34,000 would always keep the faith in supporting their team. This past season, that elusive first WHL championship finally came.

Looking to the future, the folks in Moose Jaw can continue to keep dreaming big dreams for their Warriors. You have to have faith that one day that elusive first Memorial Cup title will come too.

WHL in its longest Memorial Cup drought ever, other notes

The QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan enjoy a Memorial Cup win in 2018.

The WHL’s drought when it comes to winning the Memorial Cup just keeps growing and growing.

It is now the undisputed longest drought the circuit has ever had when it comes to capturing major junior hockey’s top prize that goes to the championship team of the CHL. The CHL is the umbrella the WHL, OHL and QMJHL major junior circuits play under.

On Friday at the Memorial Cup tournament being held at the DOW Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan, the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors were eliminated from the event with a 7-1 loss in the tournament’s semifinal game against the host Saginaw Spirit from the OHL. The Spirit advanced to play the OHL champion London Knights for the CHL title in the Memorial Cup championship game on Sunday (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

Moose Jaw’s elimination means the WHL has now gone eight straight Memorial Cup tournaments without being able to win the Memorial Cup. That stretch includes the tournaments played from 2015 to 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Memorial Cup tournament wasn’t contested in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The WHL’s previous longest drought of not winning the Memorial Cup spanned seven seasons starting with the inaugural campaign the circuit came into existence in the 1966-67 campaign. That stretch included seasons when the WHL was ineligible to compete for the storied championship trophy.

In three of the first four seasons the WHL existed, the circuit wasn’t eligible to compete for the Memorial Cup as the circuit was originally viewed as an “outlaw league” by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association that governed the game in Canada at that time.

The WHL’s winless run came to an end when the Regina Pats won storied trophy for the third time in team history to conclude the 1973-74 campaign. Clubs from the WHL became eligible to play for the Memorial Cup on a regular basis in the 1970-71 campaign.

The Edmonton Oil Kings are the last team from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup, and that victory came back in 2014. Edmonton captured the WHL and CHL titles that year playing to honour the memory of former player Kristians Pelss, who was with the Oil Kings 2012 WHL championship team and passed away in June of 2013 due to a recreation diving accident.

In the championship game of the 2014 Memorial Cup tournament played in London, Ont., on May 25 of that year, the WHL champion Oil Kings downed the OHL champion Guelph Storm 6-3. It has been 10 years since a WHL team last captured the Memorial Cup.

For the WHL as a league, maybe the “Curse of the Drop” still lingers.

For the superstitious types, that event took place on May 25, 2008 after the WHL champion Spokane Chiefs downed the host Kitchener Rangers 4-1 in the Memorial Cup tournament’s championship game. After receiving the trophy, Chiefs captain Chris Bruton had the Memorial Cup fall apart in his hands as he attempted to give it to veteran defenceman Trevor Glass.

Since that drop, the WHL has only won the Memorial Cup once coming with the Oil Kings win in 2014.

Next year, Rimouski, Quebec, will host the Memorial Cup tournament with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic taking the ice as the host squad. Will that be the time the WHL’s Memorial Cup comes to an end?

When it comes to winning the Memorial Cup, the WHL as a league has fallen into the habit of being in next year country.

• The QMJHL once went through a drought of 14 seasons of not winning the Memorial Cup as a league. In 1981, the Cornwall Royals won their second straight Memorial Cup playing out of the QMJHL. The next QMJHL club to win the Memorial Cup would be the Granby Predateurs in 1996.
• On Saturday, Medicine Hat Tigers left-winger Gavin McKenna captured the CHL Rookie of the Year award. Tigers centre Cayden Lindstrom was feted as the winner of the CHL Top Draft Prospect award. Defenceman Noah Chadwick of the Lethbridge Hurricanes claimed CHL Scholastic Player of the Year award.
• Moose Jaw Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk was up for the CHL’s Defenceman of the Year award. When the CHL handed out its major awards on Saturday, the Defenceman of the Year award went to Zayne Parekh of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

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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Warriors down to last life at Memorial Cup tourney

Moose Jaw drops 5-4 decision to Knights to fall to 0-2

Ethan Semeniuk scored twice for the Warriors on Monday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors are finding out life can come at you fast at the Memorial Cup.

On Monday, the WHL champions played their second round robin game at the tournament that crowns a CHL champion taking on the London Knights, who are the champions of the OHL. Once again, the Warriors supplied their share of thrills at the DOW Event Centre in Saginaw, Michigan, but fell 5-4 in a contest played before 4,768 spectators.

The Warriors also came up short by a 5-4 final score in their first round robin contest on Friday against the host Saginaw Spirit from the OHL.

Sitting at 0-2, the Warriors are down to their last life at the Memorial Cup tournament. On Tuesday, Moose Jaw takes on the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

The Voltigeurs are also 0-2 at the tournament. Tuesday’s clash between the Warriors and Voltigeurs will be the final round robin game for both clubs at the tourney. The winner moves on to play in a semifinal contest on Friday, while the losing squad is eliminated from the event.

The Knights improved to 2-0 at the Memorial Cup. They close the round robin portion of the event taking on the host Spirit, who are also 2-0, on Wednesday (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

That clash between the Knights and Spirit will be a rematch of the OHL’s Western Conference Championship series, which London claimed 4-2. 

The winner of Wednesday’s encounter between the two OHL clubs advances to the Memorial Cup championship game slated for this coming Sunday (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

Denton Mateychuk had the Warriors first goal on Monday.

The squad that falls in Wednesday’s battle will play in Friday’s semifinal contest (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN) against the winner of Tuesday’s game between the Warriors and Voltigeurs.

In Monday’s encounter between the Warriors and Knights, the WHL champs got out to a fast start. Just 27 seconds into the contest, Warriors star right-winger Jagger Firkus broke into the London zone on a breakaway. Firkus put a backhand shot on net that was turned away by a right pad save from Knights star netminder Michael Simpson.

Moose Jaw would break through on the scoreboard first a short time later. At the 3:39 mark of the first, Warriors captain and star defenceman Denton Mateychuk received a drop pass from Warriors star 20-year-old right-winger Atley Calvert in position for a midrange shot straight out from the left post of the London net.

Mateychuk rocketed a shot to the top left corner of the London net to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. That marked the first time the Warriors held a lead at any time in the Memorial Cup tournament. Moose Jaw is making its debut in the CHL championship event.

The Knights would answer back in the second half of the opening frame. After causing a turnover off the forecheck in the Moose Jaw zone, Knights centre Jacob Julien made a backhand pass from below the icing line to the right side of the Warriors goal across the face of the net to import right-winger Ruslan Gazizov. 

Gazizov popped the puck into an empty left side of the Moose Jaw net to even the score at 1-1.

With 2:10 remaining in the first, Knights star offensive-defenceman Sam Dickinson wired a midrange shot from the front of the Moose Jaw net through screen home to the left side of the goal to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Moose Jaw would even the score at 2-2 at the 7:01 mark of the second. Warriors defenceman Aiden Ziprick fired a shot from the left side of the London net that rebounded out to Warriors left-winger Ethan Semeniuk at the right side of the goal. Semeniuk quickly fired the rebound into an empty right side of the London net past a fallen Simpson for the equalizer.

Atley Calvert set up the Warriors first goal on Monday.

At that point, the Knights shot out on a surge scoring three straight goals to take a 5-2 lead. At the 9:02 mark of the second, standout rookie centre Sam O’Reilly scored a beauty for the Knights. He made a puck drag move to get around Warriors defenceman Cosmo Wilson on a rush down the left wing and roofed a close in shot to the top right corner of the Moose Jaw net to put the Knights up 3-2.

With 7:13 remaining in the second, O’Reilly found himself breaking into the Moose Jaw zone jetting down the right wing on a two-on-one rush with veteran left-winger Landon Sim speeding down the left win. O’Reilly made a pass across the front of the Moose Jaw net to Sim, who buried a shot to put the Knights up 4-2.

The Knights completed the surge with 3:46 remaining in the second, when import winger Kasper Halttunen one-timed home a midrange shot from just off to the left of the Moose Jaw to give the OHL champs their 5-2 advantage. Halttunen converted a beauty setup pass from star right-winger Easton Cowan.

Moose Jaw got a big traction moment just six second later, when Semeniuk netted his second of the contest putting home a shot from just outside the London blue-line that cut the Knights advantage to 5-3.

Things got a bit rough with 2:30 remaining in the second as Warriors offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker took on Knights power forward Max McCue in a fight. McCue got the better of Parker in the bout.

When the second period came to a close, the Knights held their 5-3 advantage holding a 24-20 edge in shots on goal. While the Knights have skill, they built their lead by playing heavy in a style similar to that of some of the skilled and physical squads that traditionally have been more usual in coming out of the WHL.

The Knights players often dumped the puck into the Moose Jaw zone, and the London forwards got some big hits on Warriors defencemen working on the forecheck.

Jagger Firkus has been snake bitten around the net.

In the third, the Warriors came with a big push holding a 10-4 edge in shots on goal. Moose Jaw elected to first pull star netminder Jackson Unger for an extra attacker with about 4:36 remaining in the third.

During a scramble around the London net with 3:55 remaining in the third, Warriors standout overage import left-winger Martin Rysavy banged the puck home into the OHL champs’ goal to trim the Knights lead to 5-4.

Unger returned to the Warriors net and was pulled once again for an extra attacker with 79 seconds remaining in the third. The Warriors proceeded to get an offensive zone faceoff with 71 seconds left in the frame.

Off the draw, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager got the puck at the right side boards of the London zone and passed it to Firkus, who was in position for a midrange one-timer just off to the left of the London net. Firkus one-timed Yager’s setup pass but the shot was corralled by Simpson.

The Knights clamped things down defensively from there to hold on to their 5-4 victory.

Unger turned away 23 shots to take the setback in net for the Warriors. Simpson stopped 26 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Knights.

Cowan and Denver Barkey each had a pair of helpers for the Knights. London has now won six straight games at the Memorial Cup tournament, which includes going 4-0 to win the 2016 edition of the tournament held in Red Deer, Alta.

In the WHL Playoffs, the Warriors won two elimination games taking their epic seven game WHL Eastern Conference title series win over the Saskatoon Blades. The Warriors claimed a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 6 of that series at home in Moose Jaw and posted a 3-2 overtime victory in a series-deciding Game 7 in Saskatoon.

On Tuesday, the Warriors take on a Voltigeurs side that is facing elimination for the first time in the 2024 post-season.

Brayden Yager nearly set up a late equalizer for the Warriors.

Moose Jaw has battled and lost two games that could have gone either way at the Memorial Cup. In the department of Captain Obvious, now would be a great time for the Warriors to get their first win at the CHL championship tourney.

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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Moose Jaw and Warriors fans deserve WHL title win

Denton Mateychuk circles the ice with the Ed Chynoweth Cup. 

If the Moose Jaw Warriors and their fans were part of the scripted WWE Universe, they would be saluted with chants of, “You deserve this!”

This past Wednesday, the Warriors downed the visiting Portland Winterhawks 4-2 before a jam packed crowd of 4,732 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre in Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series. The win allowed the Warriors to sweep the best-of-seven set 4-0 and capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the first time in team history.

Wednesday’s win marked the first time a club from “The Friendly City” won the WHL title since the circuit’s inaugural campaign back in 1966-67. In the 1967 post-season, the Moose Jaw Canucks claimed the WHL crown downing the Regina Pats 4-1 in a best-of-seven series for the league title.

Warriors fans cheer their team winning the WHL title.

Now just five days after that monumental victory by the Warriors, it is likely some of the teams’ fans are wondering if that night actually did happen. The ending of the Game 4 victory over the Winterhawks played out perfectly for the Warriors faithful to soak in the reality that their team was going to win the WHL title.

With the two sides locked in a 2-2 tie, Warriors hard-working centre Brayden Schuurman fired home what would be the game and series winning goal with 5:53 remaining in the third period. Following that tally with 2:27 remaining in the third, Warriors standout overage import left-winger Martin Rysavy scored an empty-net goal with a long distance shot from deep in his zone to round out the 4-2 final in favour of the Warriors.

Denton Mateychuk smiles lifting the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

The empty-net tally was Rysavy’s second goal of the contest. For the final 2:27 remaining in the third, Warriors fans were able to enjoy the approaching end of the frame knowing a celebration of winning the WHL championship with the presentation of the Ed Chynoweth Cup to the Warriors would follow.

Chants went up of, “We want the cup!”

When the time in the third period expired, the cheers in the Moose Jaw Events Centre, which is also known as “The Hangar,” would rival anything heard in the team’s former home rink in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, which was famously known as “The Crushed Can.”

“The Crushed Can” was the spot the love affair with the Warriors and their fans took root and seemed to immediately grow into something special. The Warriors arrived in Moose Jaw for the start of the 1984-85 campaign after spending four seasons in Winnipeg, where they made one post-season appearance and were swept of the first round of 1983 WHL Playoffs 3-0 in a best-of-five series by the eventual league champion Lethbridge Broncos.

Warriors fans salute their team in Game 4 of the WHL final.

The Warriors only had four winning records in their first 16 seasons in Moose Jaw. When it came down to wins and losses, the Warriors didn’t give the Saskatchewan city with a population of about 34,000 people much to cheer about.

Still, their raucous fans continued to back them and pack “The Crushed Can.” Opposing teams were expecting to pick up wins during visits to Moose Jaw, but you were also expecting to live through an adventure too.

Fans would rain down innovative heckles that most on opposing clubs had to get a laugh out of. When you played the Warriors at “The Crushed Can,” you were playing against the Warriors and their fans. The noise the fans made came at opposing teams with force.

The fun begins in Moose Jaw after the Warriors win the WHL title.

You had to form an admiration on some level for Warriors fans, because the losing seemingly wouldn’t drive them away for long. If they did go away, they came back to “The Crushed Can” when just even the smallest positive thing happened for the team.

You also wondered if the fans were that passionate for a team that seemingly never won what those fans would be like if the Warriors ever won a WHL title or claimed the Memorial Cup as CHL champions.

The Warriors cycled through their share of good players during their first 16 seasons in Moose Jaw. Players suiting up for the Warriors over that time included Mike Keane, Kelly Buchberger, Lyle Odelein, Theoren Fleury, Curtis Brown, Ryan Smyth, Roman Vopat, Reed Low, Jamie Lundmark, Brian Sutherby and Deryk Engelland.

Matthew Savoie and Atley Calvert go to get the fans pumped up.

During those first 16 seasons, the Warriors also got in their own way at times with quick dismissals in the early 1990s of young head coaches in Lorne Molleken and Mike Babcock. Of course, they both went on to have storied careers after leaving Moose Jaw, and it made one wonder if success might have come to the Warriors earlier had they stayed.

Over those first 16 seasons, the idea of winning WHL and CHL championships in Moose Jaw was a dream.

Since the start of the 2000-01 campaign, the Warriors have been one of the WHL’s better franchises and at times they have been one of the circuit’s elite franchises. They moved into a new home in the Moose Jaw Events Centre at the start of the 2011-12 campaign and finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings in 2017-18 with a 52-15-2-3 mark.

Atley Calvert hugs his mom Joanne Calvert.

There were times the Warriors still got in their own way. They won their first division title topping the East Division in 2003-04 with a record of 41 wins, 22 losses, eight ties and one regulation loss.

Curtis Hunt was the club’s head coach and Lane Lambert was the assistant coach at the start of the campaign. Lambert left part way through the season to become the head coach of the Prince George Cougars. He went on to a lengthy career coaching in the NHL.

Hunt moved on to become the head coach of the Regina Pats following the 2003-04 campaign. He has been serving as the general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders for some time now including their WHL championship season in 2018-19.

In the 2005-06 campaign, the Warriors again topped the East Division with a 44-20-5-3 record and advanced to the WHL Championship Series. They were swept away 4-0 by the Vancouver Giants.

Matthew Savoie enjoys a skate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Before the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the Warriors hired Mark O’Leary as an assistant coach. He became an associate coach before the start of the 2019-20 campaign and was promoted to head coach on January 6, 2020.

Originally from Owen Sound, Ont., the now 39-year-old O’Leary has strong ties to “The Friendly City.” He met the woman he would marry in health and fitness coach Stephanie O’Leary once he started working in Moose Jaw. Through Stephanie, Mark gained a better understanding of how much the Warriors mean to Moose Jaw.

The Warriors have sound leadership at general manager in Jason Ripplinger, who has worked in the WHL since joining the circuit as a scout for the Vancouver Giants before the start of the 2001-02 campaign. He joined the Warriors as an assistant general manager before the start of the 2018-19 campaign and moved up the general manager before the 2021-22 campaign.

Lynden Lakovic pumps up a group of Warriors fans.

Ripplinger and O’Leary have had the biggest hands in building the current version of the Warriors that are loaded with stars like captain Denton Mateychuk, Atley Calvert, Jagger Firkus, Brayden Yager, Matthew Savoie and Jackson Unger. They are supported by a solid roster that is now strong on all four lines and three defensive pairing with players like Rysavy, Schuurman, Kalem Parker, Lucas Brenton, Ethan Semeniuk, Lynden Lakovic and Pavel McKenzie all coming through in big moments in the post-season.

Above everything, all players and everyone with the Warriors recognize how important the fans have been to the team’s story. They understand the fans have stuck by the team in tough times, when other fanbases would likely have jumped ship in similar tough times.

The Warriors fans show their passion for their team.

Finishing fifth overall in the WHL regular season with a 44-21-0-3 mark, the current Warriors wanted to make history and accomplish things the club had never been able to do. After getting past a tough Eastern Conference Championship Series against the Saskatoon Blades that went to seven games including six contests decided in overtime, the Warriors captured the WHL title for the first time in team history.

Now, they head to Saginaw, Michigan, to play in the Memorial Cup tournament that crowns a CHL champion for the first time in team history. The Warriors open the event on Friday taking on the host Saginaw Spirit from the OHL at the DOW Event Centre (5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).

The last club from the WHL to win the Memorial Cup was the Edmonton Oil Kings back in 2014. For the Warriors, that means there is another opportunity to make more history.

Jackson Unger is pictured with family and friends after his WHL title win.

Right now for this Warriors team, anything is possible. They would like nothing better than to bring another new thrill to the fans in Moose Jaw by returning home with the Memorial Cup.

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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Just too sweet – Warriors relish first WHL championship win

The Warriors celebrate winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The championship reality might have been better than the dream for the city of Moose Jaw.

On Wednesday night before a jam packed crowd of 4,732 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, what seemed like the impossible dream came true. The Moose Jaw Warriors downed the visiting Portland Winterhawks 4-2 in Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series.

With the win, the Warriors swept the best-of-seven set 4-0. They became WHL champions and captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the first time in team history.

Denton Mateychuk lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

The Warriors existed for four seasons in Winnipeg before moving to Moose Jaw before the start of the 1984-85 campaign. For star Warriors 20-year-old right-winger and Moose Jaw product Atley Calvert, the moment was something that was beyond special.

“I can’t describe it,” said Calvert, who had an assist in Wednesday’s Game 4 win. “So much work had gone into this and highs and lows throughout the year.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to remember the group of guys, and obviously, the fans. They really helped us this year. It was our goal from day one.

“I knew it was going to be a special year. We had a special group, and we’re going to be brothers forever.”

Wednesday’s win marked the first time a club from “The Friendly City” won the WHL title since the circuit’s inaugural campaign back in 1966-67. In the 1967 post-season, the Moose Jaw Canucks claimed the WHL crown downing the Regina Pats 4-1 in a best-of-seven series for the league title.

Warriors fans celebrate their team’s WHL title win.

When the Warriors arrived in Moose Jaw for the start of the 1985-85 season, they only had four winning records in their first 16 seasons in the Saskatchewan city with a population of about 34,000 people, but their raucous fans continued to back them.

The backing of the fans was not lost on Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk, who was named the MVP of the WHL Playoffs. He was pumped his squad could win the WHL title for the fans.

“It is an unbelievable feeling,” said Mateychuk, who has 11 goals, 19 assists and a plus-19 rating in the plus-minus department in the Warriors 20 post-season games. “It (Moose Jaw) is an awesome city, and they (the fans) deserved it.

Warriors players lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

“I’m so glad that we could bring home a championship.”

In Game 4 on Wednesday, the Warriors and Winterhawks entered the second period locked in a 2-2 tie. With 5:53 remaining in the third, the Warriors jumped ahead on the scoreboard for good.

Warriors right-winger Rilen Kovacevic jetted into the Portland zone down the right boards. He passed the puck to the top of the right faceoff circle to veteran centre Brayden Schuurman. Schuurman wired home a wrist shot to the top right corner of the Portland goal to give the Warriors a 3-2 lead.

The Warriors lap the ice surface with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Warriors standout overage import left-winger Martin Rysavy sealed victory and a 4-2 outcome in favour of the host side potting a long distance empty-net goal from deep in his own zone with 2:27 remaining in the third. From that point on, the celebration in the crowd was in full swing.

Schuurman scored the overtime winner one night earlier in the Warriors 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Game 3 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. When his eventual winner went into the Portland net in Game 4, Schuurman said he had goosebumps.

“I think this crowd just was so loud,” said Schuurman. “The players were just so fired up.

Brayden Schuurman scored the winning goal in Game 4.

“It was just pure joy and pure excitement.”

Schuurman was pleased he was able to deliver in a big moment for his team in Game 4.

“It was such a tight checking game,” said Schuurman. “We knew it was going to come down to the wire.

“We knew they were going to push. We had the confidence in our group that we were going to come out on top.”

Back in the game’s first period, Rysavy gave his squad a 1-0 lead with a power-play marker at the 8:11 mark of the frame. On the play, Warriors star centre Brayden Yager took a shot from the right side boards that was stopped by Winterhawks star netminder Jan Spunar. 

Martin Rysavy had a pair of goals for the Warriors in Game 4.

The puck sat as a short rebound in front of the Portland net and Rysavy popped home the loose puck to give the host side their one goal edge.

With 7:30 remaining in the opening frame, the game was delayed for 15 minutes as part of the lighting in the building went out due to adverse weather that existed in the city for a short time. That wouldn’t slow up either side in the contest.

Inside the final six minutes of the second period, the teams combined for a surge of three goals. With 5:29 remaining in the second, the Winterhawks found themselves working on a power play.

Winterhawks star offensive-defenceman Luca Cagnoni took a shot from the point that deflected off the stick of Winterhawks captain Gabe Klassen and then off the stick of 19-year-old centre Kyle Chyzowski into the Moose Jaw goal. That tally evened the score at 1-1.

Warriors fans cheer their team in Game 4 on Wednesday.

The Warriors jumped ahead 2-1 with 4:23 remaining in the second on a goal from star centre Matthew Savoie. With a draw in the left faceoff circle in the Portland zone, Calvert won the draw getting the puck to Savoie. Savoie roofed a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to the top left corner of the Portland goal to restore the Warriors’ one-goal edge.

Portland proceeded to even the score at 2-2 with 86 seconds remaining in the second. Star Winterhawks centre Nate Danielson had the puck in the left corner of the Moose Jaw zone below the icing line.

Kyle Chyzowski had the Winterhawks first goal in Game 4.

He passed the puck across the face of the net to left-winger Marcus Nguyen at the right side of the net. Nguyen popped the puck home on a backdoor tap to pull the visitors even on the scoreboard.

That set the stage for the dramatics for Schuurman to come through with his winner in the third and Rysavy to complete a two-goal night scoring his empty-netter.

Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary was proud that Schuurman came through with a winning goal for a second straight night.

“To know what he went through just to get himself in the lineup these last two games makes it even more special,” said O’Leary. “He spent so much time on the trainer’s table.

Marcus Nguyen scored the Winterhawks second goal in Game 4.

“Again, he was a game time decision yesterday and today. For him to gut that out and score two huge goals, it is just fitting.”

O’Leary, who originally joined the Warriors as an assistant coach before the start of the 2012-13 campaign, was pumped his club could win the WHL title for Moose Jaw.

“It means everything,” said O’Leary. “Moose Jaw, I consider it home now.

“I came here 12 years ago. I met my wife here. It is home.

“To see how much it means to them, it is unbelievable. I can’t wait to share it with them.”

Matthew Savoie had the Warriors second goal on Wednesday.

Jackson Unger stopped 24 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Spunar turned away 22-of-25 shots to take the setback in net for the Winterhawks.

Schuurman was pumped his club could deliver a championship win for the fans.

“This is huge for the city of Moose Jaw,” said Schuurman. “Us players, we wanted to get it done for our group as well as the city.

“We’ve had them behind us the whole year, and this playoffs they’ve been incredible. It is really special to bring it home.”

During the regular season, the Winterhawks finished third overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 48-15-4-1 mark and were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Warriors finished fifth overall in the WHL regular season with a 44-21-0-3 mark.

Denton Mateychuk was MVP of the WHL Playoffs.

The Warriors and Winterhawks met once during the regular season back on February 28. Moose Jaw took that encounter 4-3 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

The WHL final between the two sides was expected to be tightly contested. The games were tightly contested with the Warriors always finding a way to pull out victory. Mateychuk said the Winterhawks played hard.

“They’re a very good team,” said Mateychuk. “We just maybe capitalized on a bit more opportunities than they did.

“They had a couple of posts in Game 1. Game 1 could have went either way, and that could change the series. In the end, we stayed with it and got it done.”

The Warriors begin celebrating their WHL title win.

With winning the WHL title, the Warriors advance to the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion. The Memorial Cup starts on May 24 and runs through to June 2 in Saginaw, Michigan.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs have advanced to the event as the QMJHL champions. On Wednesday night, the London Knights swept the OHL Championship Series 4-0 after downing the Generals in Oshawa 7-1 in Game 4 of that series. The Saginaw Spirit, who fell in the OHL semifinal round in six games to the Knights, are the host squad.

The Warriors will open the tournament against the host Spirit on May 24 at a time to be announced.

Mateychuk said the Warriors will turn their collective attention towards the Memorial Cup soon. For the moment, they wanted to enjoy winning the WHL title and feel proud about advancing through the WHL Playoffs with a 16-4 record.

Brayden Schuurman enjoys a WHL title win with family.

“It is unbelievable,” said Mateychuk. “The guys played great.

“We had a hard series against Saskatoon, and we kept pushing. We didn’t give up. We came into this, and we had all the confidence in the world.

“I think that helped.”

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Rysavy, Unger push Warriors to 3-1 victory in Game 3

Blades trail WHL’s Eastern Conference final 2-1

Martin Rysavy celebrates scoring for the Warriors.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. - Martin Rysavy got a monkey off his back and Jackson Unger turned away the push back.

Those two developments allowed the Moose Jaw Warriors to slip past the Saskatoon Blades 3-1 on Tuesday night before 4,483 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre in Game 3 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Warriors take a 2-1 in the best-of-seven set.

Entering Tuesday’s contest, Rysavy had gone five straight games without scoring a goal. The overage import left-winger had some tough luck in the Blades 3-2 overtime win in Game 2 on Saturday in Saskatoon. He missed a couple of golden opportunities to put the puck in the net which stuck in his head.

Martin Rysavy ended a five game goal scoring drought on Tuesday.

With the Warriors and Blades locked in 1-1 tie in the third period, Rysavy wasn’t going to miss his chance to get over his string of bad luck.

On a rush into the Saskatoon zone, a shot by Warriors star right-winger Jagger Firkus rebounded to Rysavy. With Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner sprawled out after making the initial stop on Firkus, Rysavy potted his fourth of the post-season into an open cage to put the Warriors in front 2-1 at the 7:14 mark of the frame and that goal held up as the winning tally.

Jackson Unger made 31 saves in goal for the Warriors on Tuesday.

“Obvious, I was frustrated after the second game in Saskatoon,” said Rysavy. “I had chances to score.

“I hit one crossbar. I missed an empty net there in the first. I was really frustrated that is why today I kind of made sure when I saw the rebound I’m just going to slap it as hard as I can to the net.

“I just don’t want to miss it anymore. It was an important goal.”

After the Warriors went ahead, the Blades came with an intense push back firing 10 shots on goal over the final 10:20 of the third. Warriors star netminder Jackson Unger had to come up with a major stop on Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov with about 6:44 remaining in the frame.

Grayden Siepmann scored to give the Blades a 1-0 lead.

Unger followed that stop with the save of the game that likely prevented the two squads from going to overtime for the third consecutive contest. Blades import right-winger Alexander Suzdalev put a backhand shot towards the Moose Jaw net from inside the right faceoff circle.

The puck deflected off Warriors defenceman Kalem Parker to a pinching Blades 20-year-old defenceman Charlie Wright in the left slot. Wright fired the puck to what appeared to be an open cage, but Unger made a diving glove stop to keep the Warriors ahead on the scoreboard. The Calgary product finished the contest making 31 saves to pick up the win in goal.

With 73 seconds remaining in the third and Gardner pulled to give the Blades an extra attacker, Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk sealed the victory. The star offensive-defenceman got the puck in his zone and made a long bank off the boards clear where the puck found its way into the Blades empty net to round out the 3-1 final score.

Evan Gardner stopped 29-of-31 shots in goal for the Blades.

“I didn’t like our first 40 minutes,” said Blades head coach Brennan Sonne. “Our players didn’t either.

“It was just a billion turnovers and lack of dig in, especially in the offensive zone. It was just one and done, one and done, one and done. I thought it was better in the third.

“We finally found a little bit of desperation. We know we can comeback in games, but you can’t play 20 minutes of a game or 18 minutes of a game.”

Over the three games played in the Eastern Conference final so far, Unger has stop 93-of-100 shots fired his way. He believes has found his groove, and he wants to continue coming through for his Warriors.

Atley Calvart (#23) scored the equalizer for the Warriors.

“Every game from now on is the biggest game of the year and in some of our careers,” said Unger. “I think there is everything to play for.

“We can’t let off the gas no matter what. As the games go on, we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be. We have to be at our best.”

Moose Jaw had the first big chance to score in Tuesday clash just under eight minutes into the opening frame. Warriors 20-year-old star right-winger Atley Calvert had the puck at the right side of the Saskatoon net and put a shot through the crease area for a missed chance. At around the midway point of the first, the Warriors held an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.

Fans at the Moose Jaw Events Centre cheer on the Warriors.

The Blades broke through on the score board at the 10:50 mark of the opening frame when 19-year-old defenceman Grayden Siepmann floated a seeing-eye shot from the point home to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The goal was Siepmann’s first in the 2023-24 campaign.

“Through all the ups and downs, you just keep shooting,” said Siepmann, who has posted one goal, six assists and a plus-nine rating in the plus-minus department in the Blades 12 post-season games. “It is good to finally get that one off my back.

“I feel like I am getting more confident out there. It is only going to go up.”

Atley Calvert had one goal for the Warriors on Tuesday.

The Warriors came with a big push back and outshot the Blades 18-9 in the opening frame. After the Blades went ahead, Gardner came up with a big save on Warriors right-winger Rilen Kovacevic on a rush down the right wing and he turned away Warriors star centre Matthew Savoie on the one-timer to keep the Blades ahead on the scoreboard going into the first intermission.

Just 3:43 into the second, the Warriors evened the score at 1-1 thanks to a slick power-play goal from 20-year-old right-winger Atley Calvert. Calvert had the puck low by the right side of the Saskatoon net, and he banked the puck home shooting it in off the skate of Blades star offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk for the equalizer.

Jagger Firkus (#27) had a pair of assists for the Warriors on Tuesday.

Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said it was that his players continued to carry a top level effort and weren’t derailed by the fact the Blades scored first.

“It is important and not just in playoff time,” said O’Leary. “You work towards that all season long.

“It is a dress rehearsal over the course of the season, and our guys have shown that all season long that if bad things happen or circumstances change it doesn’t change what we do. The standard doesn’t change. Responsibilities don’t change.

“Tonight was another good example of that.”

That set the stage for the third where Rysavy scored the winner and Mateychuk scored into an empty-net. The Blades outshot the Warriors 16-5 in third, but Unger ensured the host side came away with the win.

Charlie Wright just missed getting a clutch goal for the Blades.

Gardner turned way 29-of-31 shots to take the setback in net for the Blades.

Firkus picked up a pair of assists for the Warriors in the win.

The two sides go back at it for Game 4 set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Looking towards Game 4, Sonne wants his club to do a better job at winning puck battles.

“I mean there will be some structural points that I have to go watch right now,” said Sonne, whose club topped the WHL’s regular season standings with a 50-13-2-3 mark. “To this day and I would love to hear from other coaches, but to this day, I have yet to find a structure thing that covers for loosing puck battles.

Denton Mateychuk (#5) scored an empty-net goal for the Warriors.

“If you know of one, let me know. As of right now in the hockey world, I’ve never heard of one. It is pretty simple.

“We have to be desperate at the get go.”

O’Leary said his club needs to be a touch sharper on a number of little things to have success against a strong team like the Blades.

“They check well,” said O’Leary, whose team finished fifth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 44-21-0-3 mark. “They do a great job though the neutral zone.

“Certainly in front of their net, they block a lot of shots. We need to continue to stick with it and not get frustrated and stay patient in terms of generating offence. There were some things in the third period there that we need to clean up.

The Warriors celebrate their win on Tuesday night.

“Our D-zone coverage, we can tighten things up in front of Jackson (Unger). We expect more of the same tomorrow. We just need to make sure that they see our best.”

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