Chiefs sweep Winterhawks, take WHL’s Western Conference title

The Spokane Chiefs offence proved to be too much for the Portland Winterhawks to handle.

That is saying something when you realize the Winterhawks can light up a scoreboard too.

On Thursday night playing before 4,558 spectators at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the visiting Chiefs outgunned the Winterhawks 6-4 in Game 4 of the WHL’s Western Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Chiefs sweep the best-of-seven set 4-0. The Chiefs outscored the Winterhawks 28-18 over the four games in the series.

Spokane advances to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2008. In 2008, the Chiefs captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions and claimed the Memorial Cup as CHL champions. That Chiefs team included stars Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl, Chris Bruton, Jared Spurgeon and Dustin Tokarski.

The Chiefs will face the Medicine Hat Tigers in this year’s best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Tigers swept away the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Championship Series. Medicine Hat concluded that set with a 5-3 victory over a host Lethbridge side on Wednesday.

In Thursday’s clash between the Chiefs and Winterhawks, star right-winger Andrew Cristall powered the Spokane side with two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. Cristall leads the WHL Playoffs in goals (20) and points (37).

Chiefs star left-winger Shea Van Olm and star import centre Rasmus Ekstrom each had one goal and one assist. Coco Armstrong and Owen Martin each picked up singles for the Chiefs.

Breakout rookie 19-year-old right-winger Alex Weiermair powered the Winterhawks with two goals, one assist and a plus-one rating. Star defenceman Tyson Jugnauth had three assists, while captain Kyle Chyzowski had two helpers.

Star left-winger Josh Zakreski had one goal and one assist for Portland, while Ryan Miller picked up a single.

Dawson Cowan stopped 39 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Chiefs. Rookie 17-year-old import netminder Ondrej Stebetak turned away 39-of-44 shots to take the setback in net for the Winterhawks.

The Chiefs exited the first period holding a 2-1 lead. When the Chiefs and Winterhawks were locked in a 1-1 draw in the opening frame, Winterhawks star centre Diego Buttazzoni took a major penalty for cross-checking to the head and a game misconduct. The league will automatically review those infractions for a possible suspension to be applied if Buttazzoni returns for his 19-year-old season in the 2025-26 campaign.

The two sides proceeded to conclude the second period locked in a 3-3 tie.

Just 24 seconds into the third period, Zakreski scored his 11^th of the post-season to give the Winterhawks 4-3 lead.

The Chiefs responded scoring three straight goals in the final 5:47 of the third. Ekstrom netted the equalizer that forced a 4-4 tie with 5:47 remaining in the third.

Martin scored the game and series winner with 3:11 remaining in the third to put the Chiefs up 5-4. Van Olm rounded out the contest’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 93 seconds remaining in the third.

Spokane finished fourth overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 mark, while Portland was 12^th overall with a 36-28-3-1 record. The Winterhawks won two series that went seven games to make the Western Conference Championship Series.

The Chiefs took out the Vancouver Giants in five games in the first round and eliminated the Victoria Royals in six games in a Western Conference semifinal series. Spokane is currently riding a seven game winning streak.

Looking ahead to the WHL final, the Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark. In their last 47 games between the regular season and playoffs, the Tigers are an impressive 40-4-2-1. Medicine Hat has also won 10 straight games.

The Chiefs and Tigers met once in the regular season back on January 24 the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Medicine Hat claimed that encounter 3-2.

The Tigers will have home ice advantage for the WHL Championship Series. The schedule for that seven game set is still to be announced.

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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What a rally! – Tigers claim 7-6 OT win over Hurricanes

Medicine Hat takes 3-0 lead in WHL Eastern Conference final

Oasiz Wiesblatt scored the OT winner for the Tigers.

A game that looked strongly like it could be a Lethbridge Hurricanes victory turned into what might be a nightmare for their star goaltender Jackson Unger.

On Tuesday in Game 3 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series, the host Hurricanes held leads of 3-0, 4-1, 5-3 and 6-5 over the Medicine Hat Tigers in a contest played before 4,794 spectators at VisitLethbridge.com Arena. With 70 seconds remaining in the third period and star netminder Harrison Meneghin pulled for an extra skater, Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford put a seeing-eye shot from the right point through a screen to the top left corner of the Lethbridge net to force a 6-6 tie and overtime.

Just 2:41 into the extra session, Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna intercepted a Hurricanes pass in the Lethbridge zone. He jetted down the right faceoff circle flanked on his left by Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt on a contested two-on-nothing break.

Staring down the two most dangerous offensive players in the WHL, Unger basically had no chance.

McKenna put a pass over top an outstretched stick of a diving Hurricanes back checker across the front of the Lethbridge net to Wiesblatt at the left side of the goal. Wiesblatt made no mistake knocking in the backdoor tap to give the Tigers a 7-6 victory to account for his 14^th goal and fourth winning tally of the post-season.

Gavin McKenna had three assists for the Tigers.

After scoring the goal, Wiesblatt put on an exuberant celebration and proceeded to quickly exit the ice surface with the rest of his teammates right on his tail.

With the win, the Tigers take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven set over their Highway 3 rivals. The Tigers will attempt to close the series out in Game 4 set for 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.

McKenna finished the contest with four assists extending his consecutive games points streak between the regular season and post-season to 52 games. His streak extends back to November 6, 2024.

During the 52 games of the streak, McKenna has recorded 133 points coming off 39 goals and 94 assists. 

McKenna’s consecutive games points streak is the longest in the CHL since 2000 when you include play in both the regular season and post-season.

Star defenceman Tanner Molendyk had arguably the best night of any Tigers player on Tuesday. Molendyk, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators, recorded one goal, three assists and a plus-three rating in the plus-minus rating.

Ryder Ritchie, Liam Ruck, Mathew Ward and Kadon McCann all had singles for the Tigers. Ward also had a goal that was waved off after a video review in the second period due to a hand pass leading to the creation of that tally.

Noah Chadwick had a pair of goals for the Hurricanes.

Captain Noah Chadwick had a pair of goals for the Hurricanes, while Kooper Gizowski, Kash Andresen, Miguel Marques and Brayden Yager all had singles.

Meneghin stopped 21 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Unger turned away 38 shots to take the setback in net for the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead in the first period and went up 3-0 in the second before the Tigers got their first goal of the contest to make Lethbridge’s lead sit at 3-1. 

The hosts pushed their edge out to 4-1 before the Tigers closed the second frame scoring twice to cut Lethbridge’s advantage to 4-3 heading into the second intermission.

Lethbridge scored early in the third to assume a 5-3 advantage. Medicine Hat replied with a pair of goals to even the score at 5-5.

With 3:19 remaining in the third, the Hurricanes forecheck caused the Tigers to give up the puck to Yager positioned in front of the Medicine Hat net. Yager wired a shot to the left side of the Medicine Hat goal to put the Hurricanes up 6-5.

That set up the dramatics for Pickford to get the equalizer that forced overtime and for Wiesblatt to get the winner in the extra session.

Tanner Molendyk had one goal and three assists for the Tigers.

During the regular season, the Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark. In their last 46 games between the regular season and playoffs, the Tigers are an impressive 39-4-2-1. Medicine Hat has also won nine straight games.

The Hurricanes finished sixth overall in the WHL with a 42-21-3-2 mark. Lethbridge entered the Eastern Conference final after getting past the Calgary Hitmen in a grueling Eastern Conference semifinal series that went seven games.

Medicine Hat will try to advance to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2007, which was the last time the Tigers won the league title.

Chiefs rely on offence against Winterhawks

It appears the Spokane Chiefs seem set to ride a hot offence to a potential appearance in the WHL Championship Series.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Portland Winterhawks in the best-of-seven Western Conference Championship Series thanks to their ability to score. Last Friday at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the Chiefs tried to burn out the goal lights at the rink downing the Winterhawks 10-4.

On Sunday in Game 2 at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the Chiefs outgunned the Winterhawks 6-5 in overtime. At the 2:25 mark of the extra session, the Winterhawks coughed the puck up to Chiefs left-winger Chase Harrington in their own zone.

Harrington broke in alone on the Portland goal down the right wing and ripped home the winner for the Chiefs.

So far in the series, three Chiefs players have recorded five points over the first two games of the set. Star right-winger Andrew Cristall and import right-winger Assanali Sarkenov both have four goals and one assist. Star centre and captain Berkly Catton has one goal and four assists.

Harrington has two goals and two assists in the series. Star left-winger Shea Van Olm has one goal and three assists in the set.

Cristall tops all scorers in the WHL Playoffs with 33 points coming off 17 goals and 16 assists. Catton also has 33 points coming off eight goals and 25 assists, but Cristall leads the scoring race due to having a higher goal total.

For the Winterhawks, star centre Diego Buttazzoni is having a big series with three goals and three assists. Winterhawks star 20-year-old captain Kyle Chyzowski has one goal and three assists in the set.

The Chiefs finished fourth overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 mark. The Winterhawks placed 12^th overall during the WHL regular season with a 36-28-3-1 record.

Portland is appearing in the Western Conference Championship Series for a second straight year. The Winterhawks were swept 4-0 in last year’s WHL Championship Series by the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The Winterhawks will have an opportunity to get back in this year’s Western Conference final against the Chiefs. Due to scheduling around other events at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, the next three games of the Western Conference Championship Series are scheduled to be held in Portland.

Game 3 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Rush NLL semifinal schedule set, other notes

The Rush celebrate a goal from last Saturday.

The Saskatchewan Rush will be playing post-season games in May for the first time since 2019.

On Sunday, the Rush finalized their schedule for their best-of-three NLL semifinal series against the Halifax Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds will host Game 1 of the series on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. local time at Scotiabank Centre.

The final two games of the series are set for the SaskTel Centre. Game 2 is slated for Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 will be played on Sunday, May 11 at 6 p.m.

The Rush finished second overall in the NLL regular season with a 13-5 mark. The Thunderbirds were third overall at 11-7.

Last Saturday, the Rush defeated the visiting Georgia Swarm 13-9 in a single elimination NLL quarter-final contest. Also last Saturday, the Thunderbirds downed the visiting Calgary Roughnecks 16-12 in another single elimination NLL quarter-final.

The Rush’s last previous appearance in a post-season game in May came back on May 3, 2019, when they fell 11-10 in overtime to the Colorado Mammoth.

The other NLL best-of-three semifinal sees the two-time defending league champion Buffalos Bandits, who topped the regular season at 13-5, take on the Vancouver Warriors, who finished fourth in the NLL regular season at 11-7. Game 1 of that series is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. local time at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

• Portland Winterhawks overager Tyson Jugnauth tops all defencemen in scoring in the WHL Playoffs. In Portland’s 16 post-season games, Jugnauth has posted 29 points coming off four goals and 25 assists.
• Spokane Chiefs netminder Dawson Cowan tops all puck stoppers in wins so far in the WHL Playoffs at 10. Cowan also had a 3.34 goals against average and a .872 save percentage in the post-season.
• There have been a total of seven shutouts so far in the WHL Playoffs. Medicine Hat Tigers netminder Harrison Meneghin and Victoria Royals goalie Johnny Hicks have each collected two shutouts.
• There have been four series-deciding Game 7s played in this year’s WHL Playoffs. A total of three series-deciding Game 7s were played combined in the 2023 and 2024 WHL post-seasons.

• On Wednesday, April 9, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Carter Beck, who is a star outfielder with the Saskatoon Berries of the Western Canadian Baseball League. Beck is a homegrown high-end player from Saskatchewan growing up in Carnduff, which is a town with a population around 1,200 located in the southeast corner of the province. Beck had a classic small town introduction to the sport watching his father, Blair, play senior baseball. The piece on Beck can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by pictures of the Saskatoon Badgers Rugby Club taking part in a training session at the Indoor Training Centre. Last September, the Badgers claimed the division 1 provincial championship. It also includes photos from baseball, cricket, skiing and softball. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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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Central Division takes charge of Eastern Conference

Gavin McKenna and his Tigers have been on a roll.

When it comes to the WHL’s Eastern Conference, the Central Division has the power.

Leading up to the WHL’s trade deadline on January 9, the Medicine Hat Tigers, Calgary Hitmen and Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Central Division basically got involved with an arms race. Now almost four weeks has passed since the trade deadline elapsed, and the Tigers, Hitmen and Hurricanes have asserted themselves as the class of the conference.

The Tigers lead the conference with a 33-15-2-1 mark sitting four points clear of the Hitmen (30-13-3-2) and seven points up on the Hurricanes (30-16-1-1). Medicine Hat had been riding a 12-game winning streak that came to an end on Saturday with a 4-3 loss after an 11-round tiebreaking shootout to the Thunderbirds in Seattle. That wrapped up a six game road trip through the U.S. Division for the Tigers.

During the road trip through the U.S. Division, the Tigers came away with some impressive victories. On January 24, they slipped past the Chiefs in Spokane 3-2. On January 29, they thumped the Silvertips in Everett 7-3, and last Friday, they hammered the Winterhawks in Portland 7-2.

On Tuesday, Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna was named the WHL’s player of the month for January recording 26 points on seven goals and 19 assists in 11 games since returning from world juniors. That marked the second time this season McKenna was named a player of the month.

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

Winterhawks overcome stellar night by Blades’ Gardner

Portland rallies to 4-3 victory after tiebreaking shootout

The Winterhawks celebrate their win on Wednesday night.

Evan Gardner almost made off with highway robbery against the Portland Winterhawks.

On Wednesday night playing before 3,797 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Gardner’s Saskatoon Blades took a 3-1 lead on the Portland Winterhawks at the 4:06 mark of the second period in a WHL regular season clash. With 15:21 remaining in the frame, the shots on goal between the two teams was even at 17-17.

At that point, the Winterhawks hit another gear, but Gardner, who is the Blades star 18-year-old sophomore netminder, still almost stole a victory for his club against the traditionally talented foe from the U.S. Division. The visitors outshot the host side 12-4 for the rest of that frame only to see the Blades head into the second intermission holding their 3-1 advantage due to the stellar play of Gardner.

Evan Gardner stopped 42 shots in regulation and overtime.

The Winterhawks continued their pressure in the third holding a 14-2 edge in shots on goal. They finally scored twice inside the final five minutes of the frame to force a 3-3 tie and overtime.

After the scoreless three-versus-three extra time session, the first two shooters Portland sent out in the tiebreaking shootout scored. That allowed the Winterhawks to claim the tiebreaking shootout 2-0 and the overall game itself 4-3.

Gardner turned away 42 shots through regulation and overtime to give the Blades a chance to win. He was unable to foil Winterhawks star offensive-defenceman Tyson Jugnauth and star captain Kyle Chyzowski in the shootout.

Josh Zakreski scored the Winterhawks first goal on Wednesday.

The Winterhawks improved to 24-15-2-1 with the win to remain third in the U.S. Division.

The Blades saw their record move to 22-14-2-3 to remain first in the East Division sitting four standings points ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders (21-15-3) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (20-13-3-2). The Raiders have two games in hand on the Blades, and the Wheat Kings and three games in hand on the Saskatoon side.

Wednesday’s game marked the first time the Blades played at home since the WHL trade deadline this past Thursday at 7 p.m. Saskatchewan time. Leading up to the deadline, the Blades were active making deals that saw them trade long time veteran stars in Brandon Lisowsky and Tanner Molendyk.

Cooper Williams had the Blades first goal on Wednesday.

The Blades worked on replenishing WHL Prospects Draft capital that was given up during a load up last season. In that 2023-24 campaign, the Blades finished with a 50-13-2-3 mark to top the WHL’s overall standings. In the post-season, the Blades advanced to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series and fell in an epic seven-game set that saw six contests go to overtime to the eventual WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors.

Along with acquiring draft selections, the Blades also picked up some younger players who have skill and some great potential to reach in future campaigns. Wednesday’s clash with the Winterhawks marked the first time Blades played at home with a fairly new looking lineup.

Hayden Harsanyi had a power-play goal for the Blades.

The Winterhawks would proceed to get the jump on the Blades scoring just 43 seconds into the contest. Winterhawks 18-year-old standout right-winger and Saskatoon product Josh Zakreski got the puck at the top of the left faceoff circle and wired a shot past Gardner for the game’s opening marker.

Just 58 seconds later, the Blades evened the score at 1-1, when 16-year-old rookie centre Cooper Williams banged home a puck from the front of Portland net that came from a shot taken by linemate Hunter Laing. Laing is one of the Blades recent trade acquisitions.

Rowan Calvert scored a power-play goal for the Blades.

The Blades proceeded to jump ahead 2-1 just under five minutes later scoring on their first power-play chance of the night. A shot taken by Blades standout 19-year-old right-winger Tyler Parr rebounded out to centre Hayden Harsanyi, who recently turned 18-years-old, in the left slot. Harsanyi potted the puck into an empty cage to give the Blades the lead.

Another recent trade acquisition by the Blades, Harsanyi had two goals and two assists in three games he suited for with the Saskatoon side.

At the 4:06 mark of the second, the Blades pushed their advantage out to 3-1 scoring a beauty for their second power-play mark of the contest. On a break into the Portland zone, Blades 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Grayden Siepmann got the puck down the right wing to 20-year-old left-winger Tanner Scott, who is a veteran recent trade acquisition.

Frantisek Dej (#32) had a fight for the Blades.

Scott passed the puck across the face of the Portland net to Blades standout 19-year-old left-winger Rowan Calvert. Calvert tapped home his 16^th goal of the campaign to give the host side their two-goal edge. Siepmann picked up his second assist of the contest on Calvert’s goal.

A short time after Calvert’s tally, Blades import centre Frantisek Dej, who was making his debut with the team, engaged in a short but spirited fight with Chyzowski. Dej landed a number of hard shots getting the edge in the bout.

At that point in time, the Blades were playing fairly even up with their Winterhawks foes. It appeared Saskatoon could potentially beat the Portland side for the first time since December 3, 2017, when the Blades blanked the Winterhawks 4-0 in Portland.

On Wednesday night, the Winterhawks found another gear for the duration of the contest after falling behind 3-1. Gardner had to put on the superhero cape in order to keep the Winterhawks at bay.

Tyson Jugnauth had the Winterhawks second goal on Wednesday.

In the third, Gardner made one of his best saves of the night making a sliding pad stop to deny Winterhawks 17-year-old centre Kyle McDonough at the left side of the Saskatoon net.

For the longest time, it looked like Gardner was going to steal the game. With 4:33 remaining in the third period, the Winterhawks struck on the power play on an outstanding individual effort by Jugnauth. Jugnauth blasted down the right wing on a rush into the Saskatoon zone, cut across the front of the Blades net and put a backhand shot between the legs of Gardner to trim the host side’s lead to 3-2.

Jugnauth’s tally came on his squad’s 40^th shot on goal in the contest. He also leads the WHL in defenceman scoring with 58 points coming off 11 goals and 47 assists to go with a plus-11 rating in the plus-minus department.

Ryan Miller scored the equalizer for the Winterhawks.

With 2:42 remaining in the third, Chyzowski had the puck in the left corner of the Saskatoon zone. He put a backhand pass into the middle of the left faceoff circle to 17-year-old right-winger Ryan Miller.

Miller wired home a shot to even the score at 3-3 to force overtime. His tally came on the Winterhawks 42^nd shot on goal in the contest.

While the Winterhawks were carrying all the momentum, the Blades almost won the game in overtime. On a rush into the Portland zone with just over a minute remaining in the extra session, Calvert found himself alone at the left side of the Winterhawks net after receiving the puck on a backdoor pass.

Grayden Siepmann had a pair of assists for the Blades.

Calvert put a shot on net, but it was turned away by Winterhawks import netminder Ondrej Stebetak, who slid across the crease to make a blocker stop. That set the stage for the Winterhawks to take it in the tiebreaking shootout.

Stebetak stopped 22 shots over 65 minutes and both shooters he faced in the shootout to pick up the win in net for the Winterhawks.

The victory allows the Winterhawks to head into their next game on a high note. They also get back at it on Friday when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the 10-25-4-2 Warriors (7 p.m., Moose Jaw Events Centre).

Now winless in three games, the Blades also return to action on Friday when they host the 15-21-3-2 Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Winterhawks are all smiles after their win on Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, the Blades new look lineup showed flashes of potential. They will have better nights ahead.

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.

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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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OT victory puts Warriors one win away from first WHL crown

Schuurman nets extra time winner in Game 3 of title series

The Warriors and their fans celebrate their OT win on Tuesday.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – “The Hangar” was loud on Tuesday night, and it might be even louder on Wednesday night.

On Tuesday play before 4,641 spectators at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, which is also known as “The Hanger,” the host Moose Jaw Warriors found themselves locked in a 3-3 tie heading to overtime in Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series against the Portland Winterhawks. It didn’t take long for the Warriors to make the jam packed crowd bring their loudest cheers of the night.

Just 2:20 into overtime, Warriors 19-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic drove into the Portland zone on a rush and wired a shot from the front of the Winterhawks net off the crossbar. The puck came down to the left side of the Portland net.

Brayden Schuurman had the OT winner for the Warriors.

Warriors veteran centre Brayden Schuurman got to the loose puck and popped it into an open cage to deliver his squad to a 4-3 victory. As Schuurman’s tally entered the net, the crowd at the Moose Jaw Events Centre exploded with their loudest cheers since the building opened on August 19, 2011.

The win allowed the Warriors to take a commanding 3-0 lead in best-of-seven set to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup. They will try to close the series out and attempt to win their first WHL championship in team history in Game 4 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

The last team from “The Friendly City” to win the WHL title was the Moose Jaw Canucks in the circuit’s inaugural season back in the 1966-67 campaign. The Canucks downed the Regina Pats 4-1 in a best-of-seven series in 1967 for the league title.

Lucas Brenton had the Warriors first goal on Tuesday.

The Winterhawks, who are one of the WHL’s most storied teams, didn’t allow the Warriors to have anything easy in Game 3 on Tuesday. Portland came out with a spirited effort.

Still, the Warriors broke through on the scoreboard on a goal from defensive-defenceman Lucas Brenton at the 4:22 mark of the opening frame. Brenton found himself beside just off the left of the Portland goal and he tapped home a backdoor feed from the right side of the goal by Kovacevic to give the host side a 1-0 lead.

As raucous as the fans got after Brenton’s goal, the Winterhawks brought the crowd’s volume level down a short time later. Just 2:19 after Brenton’s tally, Winterhawks rookie right-winger Ryan Miller, who just turned 17-years-old, sprung 18-year-old rookie left-winger Tyson Yaremko on a breakaway. Yaremko sniped home a shot to the low left side of the Moose Jaw net to even the score at 1-1.

The Warriors faithful cheer a goal from Lucas Brenton.

Shortly after Yaremko’s goal, the Warriors found themselves on the power-play, but Winterhawks star centre Nate Danielson ended up delivering a big play. Getting the puck deep in the Moose Jaw zone, Danielson cut past Warriors star centre Brayden Yager and Warriors star netminder Jackson Unger to pop home a backhander for a short-handed goal that gave the Winterhawks a 2-1 lead at the 8:34 mark of the first.

That marked the first time Portland led at any point in any game of the series. The Winterhawks exited the opening frame holding their 2-1 lead and a 16-12 edge in shots on goal.

Tyson Yaremko had the Winterhawks first goal on Tuesday.

The second period became Denton Mateychuk time for the Moose Jaw Warriors. Working on a power play early in the frame, Warriors star centre Matthew Savoie passed the puck from the right side boards to Mateychuk at the top of the right faceoff circle.

The Warriors captain wired home a wrist shot to the top right corner of the Portland net passed a screened star Winterhawks netminder in Jan Spunar to even the score at 2-2 at the 3:37 mark of the frame.

With 2:41 remaining in the second, Savoie looked like he might have gotten away with a slight of hand play to give the Warriors a 3-2 lead on a rebound from a scoring attempt by Warriors star right-winger and WHL player-of-the-year Jagger Firkus. Firkus tried to score on a Michigan style lacrosse shot and the puck from his shot rebounded off the crossbar of the Portland net.

Nate Danielson scored a short-handed goal for the Winterhawks.

Savoie knocked the rebound as it was in the air into the Portland goal with his hand, and the officials at first ruled it was a goal. After going to a video review, it was determined Savoie knocked the puck in with his hand and the goal was disallowed.

The Warriors would go on the power play as Winterhawks offensive-defenceman Luca Cagnoni was penalized for high-sticking on that play.

That ensuing power play gave Mateychuk a chance to strike again. Working that man advantage, Warriors 20-year-old star right-winger Atley Calvert had the puck below the icing line off to the right of the Portland net.

Denton Mateychuk scored two power-play goals for the Warriors.

Calvert placed a pass up centre ice to Mateychuk at the top of the left faceoff circle. Mateychuk wired home his second power-play goal of the night to the right side of the Portland net to put the Warriors up 3-2 with 2:30 remaining in the second. Moose Jaw took that advantage into the second intermission.

There was about a 10 minute delay in starting the third period as the Zamboni flood watered on the ice too much in the second intermission. The Zamboni had to come again out on the ice to get the playing surface right for the third frame to get underway.

The Winterhawks didn’t go away. At the 3:56 mark of the third, Winterhawks standout left-winger Marcus Nguyen threw a puck from the left side boards in the Moose Jaw zone in the direction of the Warriors goal. The puck deflected off Warriors offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker into the Moose Jaw net to allow the visitors to pull even at 3-3.

Matthew Savoie had a goal that was disallowed.

That set the stage for the contest to go to overtime and Schuurman to come through with his winner.

Unger stopped 30 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Warriors. Spunar turned away 32 shots to take the setback in net for the Winterhawks.

Kovacevic, Yager and Ethan Semeniuk each recorded two assists in the win for the Warriors. Moose Jaw improved to 9-0 in the post-season when leading a game after two periods. The Warriors have also won their last five straight games.

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.

Brayden Yager had a pair of assists for the Warriors.

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 Warriors have pulled out two victories by one goal to take their 3-0 series lead.

The Warriors existed for four seasons in Winnipeg before moving to Moose Jaw before the start of the 1984-85 campaign. 

In their first 16 seasons in Moose Jaw, the Warriors had only four winning records, but their raucous fans continued to back them.

Brayden Schuurman is cheered by the fans as he heads off the ice.

Now, we get to see if the Warriors can deliver the biggest post-game party Moose Jaw has ever seen with a WHL championship clinching victory on home ice. For Warriors fans, this moment is so close it almost might not seem real that it could happen.

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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