Moe break out of rut, powers Raiders to 4-2 victory

Spencer Moe delivered a big two-goal night for the Raiders on Friday night.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Spencer Moe admitted he will play a little more free and easy going forward.

    On Friday, the 19-year-old right-winger potted his first two goals of the season including the winner to push his Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a WHL regular season contest at the Art Hauser Centre.

    Moe scored his winner with 4:51 to play in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and give the Raiders a 3-2 edge to the delight of 2,502 spectators in the building.

    His linemate in 18-year-old rookie centre Ilya Usau sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 17.2 seconds remaining in the third.

    Heading into Friday’s game, Moe had just two assists in the Raiders previous seven outings. He admitted he was gripping the stick a little too tightly.

The Raiders celebrate Spencer Moe’s first period goal.

    “It makes me relieved,” said Moe. “A lot of stress was building up on me.

    “I think with the two goals today it has kind of put me back to where I really wanted to be and how I really wanted to start the season.”

    Moe got out to a good start on Friday scoring at the 11:28 mark of the first period to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Taking a setup pass from Usau, Moe blasted home his first of the year from the front of the Lethbridge goal.

    The speedy Calgary product said he really could feel the stress lift at that point in the game.

    “I could feel it off my back,” said Moe, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs 170 pounds. “I felt a lot better.

    “Just the fact the first one was out, I was hungrier, and I felt a lot better.”

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid was pleased to see Moe break out of his rut.

Spencer Moe looks for an opening to score on a second period breakaway.

    “I was happy for him,” said Habscheid. “He has been snake bit a little bit.

    “The first couple of goals of the year, so he’ll skate a little bit lighter tomorrow.”

    The Raiders, who are rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 rankings, ultimately needed Moe to break through on the scoreboard, because Friday’s contest with the Hurricanes was a battle.

    Lethbridge evened things up at 1-1 just under two minutes later when 16-year-old rookie left-winger Ty Nash fired home a backdoor setup from linemate Justin Hall. 
    The tally was the first WHL career goal for Nash.

Spencer Moe had just two assists this season entering Friday’s game.

    Prince Albert went ahead 2-1 with 3:38 remaining in the second when overage star defenceman Zach wristed home a point shot through a screen.

    Overage defenceman Koletrane Wilson pulled the Hurricanes even at 2-2 with 5:39 to play in the third.

    Moe netted his second of the night and the winner to put the Raiders up 3-2 just 48 seconds after Wilson’s tally.

    On an offensive rush, Moe converted a set up pass from left-winger Cole Fonstad to break the 2-2 tie.

    “We were just doing a normal neutral zone transition there,” said Moe, who was stopped on a second period breakaway chance. “I kind of caught up to the middle there and gave it to Fonny (Fonstad) on the side.

    “I beat my checks up the ice, and he just gave it to me right in the middle. I just happen to find the back of the net there.”

Cole Fonstad had three assists for the Raiders.

    The line of Moe, Fonstad and Usau combined for seven points. Moe had his two goals, Fonstad had three assists, and Usau had a goal and an assist.

    Entering Friday’s game, Fonstad had a goal and two assists, while Usau had two goals and an assist. Both had appeared in all of the Raiders first seven games along with Moe.

    “We’re building chemistry,” said Moe of the line that was formed this season. “It’s been growing every game.

    “We’ve been playing pretty good, but we haven’t been producing a lot. In the past couple of games, we’ve been producing, which is a good thing to see.”

    Last season, Moe played in 66 regular season games for the Raiders posting nine goals, 24 assists and a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department. He centred the Raiders third line and was often utilized as an energetic checker during the team’s run to winning the WHL championship.

    Moe knows that his role is a lot different this season, as the Raiders graduated a number of forwards from last season.

Ilya Usau had a goal and an assist for the Raiders on Friday.

    “I am a fourth-year guy on this team,” said Moe. “I am supposed to be one of the veteran guys that the younger guys and everyone can lean on.

    “That wasn’t a role for me last year, especially with the players that we had, but now it is on all the other guys, older guys’ shoulders there. We just have to step up our game.”

    Boston Bilous made 32 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. The Raiders won their third straight improving to 6-0-2.

    Bryan Thomson, who is a 17-year-old rookie netminder, turned away 21-of-24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Hurricanes (3-3).

    Habscheid said the Hurricanes provided a big challenge for his side.

    “It was a struggle,” said Habscheid. “This game didn’t come easy.

The Raiders salute the Art Hauser Centre faithful after Friday’s win.

    “I thought Lethbridge worked hard. They played heavy. It was a good game for us to feel that, because we had to grind it out.

    “We had to find a way. We didn’t have our A-game for sure, but in the end, you have to find a way to win.”

    The Raiders return to action on Saturday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (5-2) at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

    The Hurricanes head to Saskatoon on Saturday to face the Blades (5-3-0-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    Early on in the season, Moe likes the fact his Raiders will keep battling for a win no matter what challenges come their way.

    “We have a mindset now,” said Moe. “We’ve been through what happened last year winning a championship and knowing what it takes.

    “We’re hungry for it. We hate losing. It is something that will strive us for the rest of the season.”

Warriors add SFMAAAHL all-time great Howe to coaching staff

Olivia Howe stopped to chat with @mosaicincanada Warriors TV about being named our new Coaching Assistant. pic.twitter.com/QG7PfyqAom

— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) October 11, 2019

    The Moose Jaw Warriors turned a few heads in the hockey world on Friday with an outside the box coaching hire.

    The Warriors have added a Saskatchewan female hockey great to their coaching staff in Olivia Howe. Howe will be a coaching assistant with the team after serving as a guest coach during the club’s training camp.

    Howe will help out the Warriors with on ice practice sessions and being an “eye in the sky” during game days.

    It is believed Howe is the first female to be named to a WHL team’s main coaching staff. As an added bonus, the 25-year-old is a product of Moose Jaw as well.

    “It’s been really surprising the feedback and reaction I’ve got,” said Howe on a video interview posted on the Warriors Twitter page. “I’m really excited to start here.

    “It’s a great opportunity. Being from Moose Jaw, it’s just awesome.”

    In a video interview on the Warriors team website, Alan Miller, who is the club’s general manager, said Howe impressed during her stint as a guest coach. As a result, talks ensued with head coach Tim Hunter, associate coach Mark O’Leary and assistant coach Scott King about finding a way to keep Howe with the team.

    “She came in here, did a very good job and made a strong impression on our hockey staff and our coaching staff,” said Miller. “We wanted to find an opportunity to bring her on to our hockey staff.

    “Working with Mark O’Leary, Scott King and Tim Hunter, we’ve put together this job description and this position and this opportunity for Olivia to help our team. We believe that it is an exciting opportunity for her.

    “We think that she will do real well, and she is a great addition to our club.”

    Howe enjoyed the opportunity to work the Warriors training camp.

    “Alan (Miller) asked me to do the training camp, and it was really exciting,” said Howe. “I didn’t hesitate, obviously.

    “I just needed to get out there and be at this level of hockey working with the males out here. It has been really exciting. It is definitely a lot different coming from the female game, so there is a lot to learn.”

    Howe ripped up the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League for four seasons from 2008 to 2012 as a skilled forward with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. She became the circuit’s all-time leading scorer piling up 107 goals and 100 assists for 207 points in 106 regular season games.

    Howe helped the Hounds win the Esso Cup in 2011 as Canadian national female midget AAA hockey champions.

    She also attended Hockey Canada’s female under-18 selection camps in 2010 and 2011.

    Following her time with the Hounds, Howe, who stands 5-foot-10, joined the NCAA women’s ranks and became a star with the Clarkson University Golden Knights for four seasons from 2012 to 2016. She appeared in 152 overall games posting 42 goals and 58 assists.

    She helped the Golden Knights win their first NCAA title in 2014.
    After graduating from Clarkson, Howe returned to Wilcox to become an assistant coach with the Notre Dame Hounds team that played in the Junior Women’s Hockey League. She has scouted the women’s game for Neutral Zone, which is a hockey scouting news site that identifies and ranks prospects for the NCAA and U Sports.

    “It is great to have another perspective in the dressing room and in the coaches’ office – a female, who has played at the highest level in the NCAA and won a national championship,” said Hunter in a video interview on the Warriors website. “She is a real tall girl, so she has a real presence on the ice.

    “She speaks loudly to the players (and very) direct. She’s got a good message, and we are excited for her.”

    The Warriors fell 4-1 on home ice at Mosaic Place to the visiting Vancouver Giants on Friday night.

    Howe isn’t the first female coach to join the staff of a high level hockey team on the men’s side in Western Canada over the last few months.

    In July, Venla Hovi, a former star with the University of Manitoba Bisons women’s team and Finland’s national women’s team, joined the staff of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets as a hockey development coach. Hovi helped the Bisons win a U Sports national title in 2018 and Finland win a silver medal at this year’s women’s world hockey championships.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Broncos to experience déjà vu with Hurricanes

WHL Eastern Conference finals foes made major trade on Jan. 9

Broncos RW Giorgio Estephan will see some old friend in Lethbridge.

    Giorgio Estephan isn’t sure what it will be like to face a team he used to lead about four months ago in a high stakes series.

    The Edmonton, Alta., product, who turned 21-years-old in early February, started the 2017-18 WHL campaign as the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He spent the first four-and-a-half seasons of his career in the major junior ranks with the Hurricanes before he was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos in a blockbuster trade on Jan. 9.

    Now, Estephan’s Broncos will battle the Hurricanes in this year’s best-of-seven Eastern Conference championship series. Game 1 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current. A year ago, Estephan played a key part in helping the Hurricanes reach the Eastern Conference Championship series ultimately falling in six games to the Regina Pats.

    “Anytime you’re going back to a place where you’ve played pretty much your whole career, it is definitely going to be interesting,” said Estephan, who had 30 goals and 56 assists in 69 regular season games split between the Broncos and Hurricanes in the 2017-18 campaign. “I have a billet dad there and he is pretty much my second dad.

    “My girlfriend is from there. It will definitely be an interesting series. This is definitely one that I will get a little bit more for sure.”

    Estephan won’t be the only player seeing familiar faces. In that blockbuster deal on Jan. 9 that came a day before the WHL’s trade deadline, the Hurricanes also sent star 19-year-old netminder Stuart Skinner and winger Tanner Nagel, who turned 20 in late January, to the Broncos.

Broncos G Stuart Skinner used to be Hurricanes mainstay.

    In exchange, the Broncos sent overage star netminder Logan Flodell, rookie centre Logan Barlage, who turned 17 in early January, sophomore centre Owen Blocker, who turned 18 in late March, sophomore defenceman Matthew Stanley, who turned 20 in early February, a first round selection and a third round selection in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and a future conditional second round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft to the Hurricanes.

    Skinner, who posted a 30-21-4 record, a 3.07 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and six shutouts in 56 regular season appearances split between the Broncos and Hurricanes in 2017-18, spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his WHL career in Lethbridge, and his links run deep in that community as well.

    “I have tonnes of friends there, and I know a lot of fans,” said Skinner. “Obviously my billets, Shannon and Peter Stewart and their three kids, it is going to be fun playing in front of all of them.

    “I might not say hi to them after the first game but maybe after the second game just so I can get my rest. It is going to be a lot of fun.”

    Both teams were trying to accomplish different goals, when they made their trade on Jan. 9. The Broncos were having a stellar regular season ultimately finishing second overall in the league with a 48-17-5-2 record and were looking to further bolster their roster for a long playoff run.

    The Hurricanes came off a stellar 2016-17 campaign and appeared to be going through a reloading phase and ultimately finished 16^th overall in the league with a 33-33-6 record. They made the trade to acquire youth and some draft selections.

    The Broncos first eliminated the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats, who finished seventh overall in the regular season, and then the Moose Jaw Warriors, who topped the league’s regular season standings, in respective seven game series to reach the Eastern Conference Championship series.

    The Hurricanes first took out the Red Deer Rebels, who finished 17^th overall in the WHL, and then the Brandon Wheat Kings, who finished eighth overall, in respective five game series to return to the Eastern Conference finals for a second straight year.

Tanner Nagel (#25) was dealt to the Broncos by the Hurricanes.

    In the WHL playoffs, the teams are bracketed to play through their division in a modified format that contains two wildcard entries.

    Since the trade between the Broncos and Hurricanes, the two teams met once in the regular season back on Feb. 2 in Lethbridge, and the Hurricanes rolled to a 5-2 victory. Swift Current claimed the three previous head-to-head encounters before the Jan. 9 deal.

    “I visualized about this since the trade,” said Skinner. “They told me that they were going to meet in the Eastern Conference finals.

    “I didn’t doubt it. They are a good hockey club. I know them really well.

    “I am really excited to play against them, and I’m excited to see what we can do. I am sure it is going to be a lot of fun, and it is going to involve a lot of emotions. I’m super excited for it.”

    Estephan also said his former teammates in Lethbridge told him the two sides would meet in the conference finals. He will not take anything away from the run his old club is on.

    “We played them our last time in Lethbridge, and they spanked us,” said Estephan. “They are a good team.

    “They are a fast team, a young team who has nothing to lose. They are playing like it, and they’ve steam rolled through two rounds.

    “They are a good team that we definitely have to watch out for and can’t take for granted for sure.”

    Broncos captain Glenn Gawdin said playing old teammates who are now with the Hurricanes should add some intrigue to the series.

    “It is kind of crazy how things worked out,” said Gawdin. “Just the way it ended up, obviously we are playing them.

    “It is going to be a good rival. Both teams are going to try to prove that we got the better end of it.”

Glenn Gawdin believes the Hurricanes will be a tough foe for his Broncos.

    Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros thinks it is neat the way the playoffs have unfolded with his club meeting the Hurricanes for a conference title. He believes the series will be a good one.

    “When we made that deal with Lethbridge, it was for us to give an opportunity to get through our side, because our side was a real difficult side,” said Viveiros. “I am not surprised they got through too, because they are a good hockey team.

    “We had to give up some really good hockey players to get good hockey players. It is going to be a little bit weird at first. When it is all said and done, the kids that we have now they are Swift Current Broncos now.

    “The kids that we moved over to Lethbridge they are Lethbridge Hurricanes now. It is going to make for an interesting series.”

Hunter believes Warriors are moving forward

The Warriors salute their fans at Mosaic Place on Monday.

    In stepping back to look at the big picture, head coach Tim Hunter was pleased with how the 2017-18 campaign played out for his Moose Jaw Warriors.

    For the first time in team history, the Warriors finished first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record and were rated second in the final CHL Top 10 rankings. With the WHL’s East Division playing out as one of the toughest divisions the league had seen in some time, the Warriors faced a couple of big challenges in the playoffs.

    The Warriors claimed a tough seven-game series in the first round against a physical and skilled Prince Albert Raiders side, who finished 14^th overall in the league with a 32-27-9-4 record. Moose Jaw proceeded to bow out of the post-season in a tough and physical seven-game series against the Swift Current Broncos, who finished second overall in the WHL with a 48-17-5-2 mark.

    Looking at the Warriors history, Hunter referenced the fact this season marked only the fourth time in history the club topped a division dating back to its origins in Winnipeg, Man., in the 1980-81 campaign. Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, the Warriors have won two playoff series and missed the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2012-13 to 2014-15.

    “(It was) a great regular season for us,” said Hunter. “We put two banners in the rafters here that are few and far between in this organization over the years.

    “It is a great stepping stone. You don’t become a great organization overnight. I think we are heading in the right direction for this organization to be better in the future.

Tanner Jeannot was one of the Warriors star overage players.

    “There are lots of prospects here, and there are lots of good young players who will be back next year. This organization will have a good team at the end of next year.”

    The Warriors dropped Game 7 of their series to the Broncos 6-0 on Monday night before 4,765 spectators at the 4,414 seat Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw. Hunter said a number of players on his team finished out playing with a lot of injuries which contributed to the lopsided outcome in their final game.

    “It is human nature to be frustrated when you don’t win and you are not in the game from the get go,” said Hunter. “I am sure the players are just as frustrated.

    “It is just one of those nights that didn’t go right. To win in the playoffs, everything has to go right, and it didn’t for our team. We played 14 really hard games, and we were really banged up.

    “It is tough to play and have confidence when you are not 100 per cent, and we weren’t.”

    Monday’s loss marked the final outing for star overage forwards in Jayden Halbgewachs, Tanner Jeannot and Brayden Burke.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Broncos romp past Warriors 6-0 in Game 7

Swift Current advances to WHL Eastern Conference title series

The Broncos celebrate captain Glenn Gawdin’s second goal on Monday.

    MOOSE JAW, Sask. – The heart and soul members of the Swift Current Broncos bucked the Moose Jaw Warriors into the off-season.

    The Broncos big line of captain Glenn Gawdin, Tyler Steenbergen and Aleksi Heponiemi along with veteran defenceman Colby Sissons combined for four goals and seven assists to help their side dump the Warriors 6-0 in Game 7 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series before 4,765 spectators at Mosaic Place. 

    The victory on Monday night allowed the Broncos to take the best-of-seven series between the two powerhouse clubs 4-3.

    Moose Jaw finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record, while Swift Current was second overall with a 48-17-5-2 mark. Both clubs enter this series having won their respective first round series in seven games.

Warriors D Josh Brook (#2) check Broncos LW Aleksi Heponiemi (#20).

    The Broncos had a chance to win the series with Moose Jaw in Swift Current in Game 6 on Saturday night, but they saw a 2-0 third period lead evaporate into a 3-2 setback in triple overtime to create the need for a series-deciding Game 7.

    Swift Current advances to the WHL Eastern Conference championship series for the first time since 2001, and Broncos head coach and director of player personnel Manny Viveiros was pleased with what his team was able to accomplish.

    “We’re ecstatic, (and) we feel like we are fortunate also too,” said Viveiros. “I am very proud of our kids.

    “Game 6, I thought we played really well, and obviously, we played a real good game tonight too. I have to give credit to Moose Jaw to come back and win Game 6. Tonight is one of those things that we scored at the right time.

Colby Sissons scored the Broncos first goal.

    “We had the momentum, and we continued with the momentum. We scored at opportune times.”

    Backed by a rink packed mainly with their home fans, the Warriors had chances early to take the lead. Overage right-winger Brayden Burke was denied on a shot from in front of the Broncos goal and Moose Jaw rearguard Josh Brook was turned away on a close in chance.

    Following those opportunities by the Warriors, the Broncos took a 1-0 lead, when Sissons slipped home a point shot through a screen at the 12:45 mark of the opening frame. With 35.4 seconds to play in the first, Heponiemi fed a perfect pass to Gawdin in front of the Moose Jaw goal, and he wired home a shot to give the visitors a 2-0 edge.

    Early in the second, the Broncos ensured the final outcome wouldn’t be in doubt. Just 3:22 into the frame, Steenbergen entered the Moose Jaw zone on a rush down the right wing and wired a wrist shot past Warriors goaltender Brody Willms to give the visitors a 3-0 edge.

    Just 78 seconds later, Sissons sprung Gawdin on a breakaway into the Warriors zone with a pass through centre ice, and the overage centre tucked home his second goal of the contest on a backhand shot to give Swift Current a 4-0 lead.

Brayden Burke had an early chance to score for the Warriors.

    At that point, the Warriors faithful was silent, and the cheers from a sizable contingent of Broncos supporters could be heard through the building.

    “They might have been louder than the Moose Jaw fans at times,” said Gawdin, who had two assists to go with his two goals. “That is just what our fans are all about.

    “At home, it has been nuts. They are our backbone throughout the whole year.”

    In the third, Heponiemi and Gawdin set up overage winger Giorgio Estephan for a power play goal, and Max Patterson added an even-strength marker a short time later to round out the scoring in the contest.

    “We played a great game,” said Estephan. “Overall, I think it kind of proves to our team that even though adversity and losing a big game like we did in Game 6 to come back and put up a game like we did today is pretty good.”

    Stuart Skinner turned away 25 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Broncos. Swift Current won three out of the four games of the series played in Moose Jaw and Skinner had shutouts in each of those wins.

Tyler Steenbergen had a goal for the Broncos on Monday.

    “It seems like we play really well in the Moose Jaw rink,” said Skinner. “Three wins playing away is huge. That is reason why we won this series.

    “I’m so thankful that I have this group of guys. We’re a family out there. I love it.”

    Willms turned away 32 shots to take the loss in goal for the Warriors. Veteran Warriors defenceman Brandon Schuldhaus, who will enter his overage year next season, was kicked out of the game after the Broncos scored their sixth goal having received a match penalty for attempting to injure after slashing Broncos centre Andrew Fyten in the head. 

    The slash occurred when Fyten drove to the Moose Jaw net and fired a shot on goal, and his rebounded was potted home by Patterson.

    The WHL office will review the penalty involving Schuldhaus for a possible suspension to start off the 2018-19 regular season.

A group of Broncos fans cheer on their team.

    Having downed the Prince Albert Raiders is a physical seven-game series in the first round, the Warriors had another physical battle on their hands against the Broncos. Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter said the injuries started to pile up for his squad.

    “It takes everything to fall into place,” said Hunter. “Everything has to go right to win in the playoffs, and it didn’t for us.

    “We had a lot of guys injured. A lot of guys played injured. We weren’t 100 per cent, and that was the tough part of it.”

    Viveiros marvel at the work of his club’s top forward line of Gawdin, Steenbergen and Heponiemi.

Giorgio Estephan had a third period goal for the Broncos.

    “They have been doing it all year for us,” said Viveiros. “We called them in that one line today before the game.

    “I said listen you guys have been doing it all year for us, and you have to lead the way for us not just offensively but defensively and all areas of the ice. I said you will play a lot.

    “They welcomed that challenge, and that is why they are a pretty dynamic group not just from their offensive side of it. As far as their leadership and their will to win, those kids really want to win. It rubs off on everybody.”

    The Broncos will face the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship series, and Game 1 set for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Innovation Credit Union i-Plex in Swift Current.

The Broncos celebrate their Game 7 series win.

    The Hurricanes, who were 33-33-6 in the regular season, are appearing in the Eastern Conference Championship series for the second straight year having bowed out in six games to the Regina Pats last year.

    Lethbridge eliminated the Red Deer Rebels in five games in the first round and took out the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games in the other Eastern Conference semifinal series. Viveiros believes his team is in for another tough set of games.

    “They’re going to say we are the favourites because of the regular season,” said Viveiros. “It is what it is, and we are OK with that. We can live with that.

The Broncos and Warriors shake hands after Monday’s game.

    “They are a good hockey team. You don’t win two series in playoffs with luck. They are well-coached and a great organization. (Hurricanes general manager) Peter Anholt is a real good friend of mine. I know those guys are going to be ready to go here.

    “Every series has its own individual story. We’ll see how that plays out starting on Friday night.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Sweet, sweet victory – Raiders enter seventh heaven

Goaltender Ian Scott and captain Curtis Miske enjoy the Raiders Game 6 win.

    PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - Wow!

    In an all-time WHL playoff classic, the Prince Albert Raiders have forced a series deciding Game 7 in their best-of-seven first round set with the Moose Jaw Warriors, who topped the league’s regular season standings with a 52-15-2-3 record.

    The two clubs played through an intense back-and-fourth Game 6 on Sunday before 2,835 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre. Locked in a 4-4 tie, Raiders winger Cole Fonstad lifted a shot over the shoulder of Warriors netminder Brody Willms to give the hosts a 5-4 lead with 8:24 to play in the third period.

    The Raiders ensured that 5-4 scored held up as the final outcome on Sunday to tie their series up with the Warriors 3-3. 

Cole Fonstad scored twice for the Raiders on Sunday.

    Game 7 is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    Fonstad scored twice on Sunday including the game’s opening tally on a rebound from a shot taken by overage linemate Jordy Stallard at the 7:34 mark of the first period. The Raiders dropped Games 3 and 4 of the series in Prince Albert including a 2-0 heartbreaker in Game 4 on Wednesday to fall behind 3-1 in the series.

    In Game 4, Fonstad had a goal called back just past the midway point of the third period due to incidental contact on Willms by Raiders defenceman Max Martin that would have tied that contest 1-1. The Warriors added an empty-net tally to seal that win.

    Fonstad was pumped to deliver for the Prince Albert fans on Sunday.

    “We kind of let ourselves and the fans down there in Games 3 and 4 there,” said Fonstad. “The fans tonight were amazing.

    “It is unbelievable the atmosphere in this building. We are really lucky to have them.

Brayden Burke had two goals and two assists for the Warriors on Sunday.

    “Obviously, you want to come back after stuff doesn’t go your way. I think we put it behind us real quick and just focused on what we can control.”

    During Sunday’s game, the Raiders were trading hard-working goals against skilled tallies by the Warriors. The two sides found themselves tied up at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 as Game 6 progressed.

    Captain Curtis Miske had a goal and three assists for the Raiders, who received singles from Sean Montgomery and Regan Nagy.

    Overage winger Brayden Burke led the Warriors attack scoring his team’s first two goals on sweet snipes and drawing assists on stellar tallies by Jayden Halbgewachs and Moose Jaw captain Brett Howden. Halbgewachs, who had 70 goals during the regular season, actually scored for the first time in the series when he gave his team a short-lived 3-2 lead late in the second period.

Raiders goalie Ian Scott works to keep the Warriors at bay.

    Montgomery scored with 59 seconds to play in the second to send the two teams into the third period locked in a 3-3 tie.

    Burke said he wasn’t surprised that his team’s series with the Raiders, who posted a solid 32-27-9-4 record in the regular season, is going to a Game 7 noting the strength of the East Division, which both teams are in.
    The other first round series between two East Division rivals featuring the Swift Current Broncos, who were 48-17-5-2 in the regular season, and the Memorial Cup hosting Regina Pats, who were 40-25-6-1 in the regular season, is going to a Game 7 to be played in Swift Current on Monday.

Jayden Halbgewachs scored for the Warriors on Sunday.

    The Brandon Wheat Kings, who posted a 40-27-3-2 regular season record playing out of the East Division, eliminated the Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers in Game 6 of their series in Dauphin, Man., on Sunday 4-3 in overtime.

    “It is a testament to the division,” said Burke. “I think it is the best division in the league this year.

    “Obviously with both series (featuring East Division teams) going to Game 7, it shows that every team is pretty equal. Even if we get through this round, we are going to have another tough test in the second round.

The Art Hauser Centre crowd cheers a Raiders goal on Sunday.

    “It just shows that a lot of teams are good, and you know you can’t take anything for granted.”

    Warriors head coach Tim Hunter echoed Burke’s statement regarding how tough the East Division was and the challenge his team faced in taking on the Raiders.

    “We didn’t think we were going to sweep this team or beat this team four games to one or whatever,” said Hunter. “We knew we were in a series from the get go.

    “They beat us at home in the first game. We knew they were a good hockey team.”

Curtis Miske celebrates a goal and he had three assists for the Raiders.

    Ian Scott turned away 16 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. While he didn’t make many saves, he made a number of quality stops, which included sliding across the crease of his net to rob Warriors centre Justin Almeida with a pad stop early in the second period.

    Miske said Scott’s performance has been key to the success the Raiders have had.

    “He (Scott) only had 20 shots, but he made a couple of saves that probably could have been goals,” said Miske. “He played really well.

    “He has been keeping us in every single game. We’re scoring goals, but he has been stopping them (the Warriors). He has been a huge part of our success so far.”

Raiders RW Brett Leason (#20) breaks into the offensive zone on a rush.

    Willms turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Warriors.

    Going into a series deciding Game 7, the Raiders will be trying to rally back successfully from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time since a second round series in 1996, when they trailed the Pats 3-1 before winning three straight to take the set 4-3.

    Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid said he was confident in his players going into Game 7.

    “Our guys are a great group,” said Habscheid. “They are a together group. They play structured. They don’t cheat the game.

    “They play hard, and when you do that, you are going to give yourself a chance. That is the second ranked team (in the final CHL Top 10 rankings) in the country, and we are one game away.

The Raiders salute their faithful at the Art Hauser Centre on Sunday.

    “We are going to go in there and lay it all on the line and see what happens.”

    Hunter also showed belief in his group noting his Warriors rebounded after falling 5-1 to the Raiders in Game 5 in Moose Jaw on Saturday.

    “We played a lot better tonight than we did last night,” said Hunter. “If we play like we did tonight on home ice on Tuesday, we will win the hockey game.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

No goal by Raiders’ Fonstad a tough hockey call

A bump by Max Martin (#10) into goalie Brody Willms created debate.

    It was one of those plays that could create great debate in a referees teaching seminar let alone among fans.

    With the dust settled, referees Jeff Ingram and Colin Watt along with linesmen Tarrington Wyonzek and Ethan Cronkhite should receive high marks for how they handled the no goal situation involving a disallowed tally by Prince Albert Raiders right-winger Cole Fonstad on Wednesday night.

    For a quick review, the Raiders were hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors in Game 4 of a best-of-seven WHL first round series before 2,827 spectators at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert. With the Warriors holding a 1-0 lead, Raiders captain Curtis Miske broke down the right wing and fired a shot on Warriors netminder Brody Willms.

    The shot rebounded long off Willms to the left side of the Moose Jaw goal. Fonstad pounced on the loose puck and fired home what appeared to be the equalizer to tie things up a 1-1 at the 10:24 mark of the frame. The official behind the net immediately waved the goal off.

Cole Fonstad saw his Game 4 be disallowed.

    After a long conference at the penalty box area, Fonstad’s goal was disallowed as it was ruled Raiders defenceman Max Martin made incidental contact with Willms.

    The Warriors later scored into an empty net with 15.6 seconds remaining in the third to seal a 2-0 victory and take a 3-1 lead in the series. They will try to close out the set tonight at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw.

    In the aftermath of Game 4, the big controversy surrounded the fact that Fonstad’s third period goal was disallowed.

    The officials handled the situation properly. The referee behind the net emphatically made a signal that the goal was no good.

    With the play brought to a stop, the officials had a conference to go over what happened. As the call to take away the goal was an incidental contact call on Martin, the officials by rule weren’t able to use the assistance of replay in that situation, so unless another official on the ice can definitively say the call should be overturned, the original call has to stand.

    In viewing the replay, Martin’s contact with Willms happened outside the crease, but Willms still had his right foot just barely in the blue paint of the crease. In WHL games I have seen this season, the trend has been for officials to call no goal due to incidental contact in those situations, so the officials stayed consistent with how that situation had been called all season.

    On the replays, it looked like Warriors Russian import defenceman Dmitri Zaitsev was trying to force Martin away from the Moose Jaw goal and ended up guided the Raiders rearguard into Willms. Under that situation, Fonstad’s goal should count.

Goalie Brody Willms was bumped in Game 4.

    In seeing the play develop once at full speed, it is uncertain how much of Zaitsev’s actions the officials saw, and if they did see them, it is possible they could rule there was enough time for Martin to recover and avoid the goalie.

    It should be noted Martin tapped into Willms, so the contact wasn’t malicious by any means.

    Having seen the play live and checked out available replays, that call could have gone either way by being ruled no goal or a goal. I am fine with whatever way the officials called it.

    It was a tough hockey call.

    Unfortunately for the Raiders and their supporters, the tough call went against their team.

    To the Raiders credit, they didn’t allow that call to deflate them. Over the final 9:36 of the third, they played hard and created good scoring chances but couldn’t find the equalizer.

    The hard pill to swallow on the Raiders side was that they likely deserved a better result in that game and likely deserve better than to be down 3-1 in that series.

    The Raiders handled the post-game scrums well. Head coach Marc Habscheid and Martin said they disagreed with the officials’ judgment on the no goal. Habscheid express concerns about critical breaks with calls that didn’t go his club’s way in each of the previous two games.

    The comments were made in a respectable fashion and were honest.

Defenceman Max Martin was on the unfortunate wrong end of a tough call.

    The Warriors had to be credited with how well they handled the post-game media scrums as well. Moose Jaw head coach Tim Hunter said it was a disallowed goal, and with how fast the officials made their initial call, that was all Hunter really needed to say.

    Willms said the contact impeded him from getting across the crease, and he gave an honest answer.

    Overall, Moose Jaw has to be credited with finding a way to get a 3-1 edge in the series.

    The media present at that contest handled the whole situation surrounding Fonstad’s disallowed goal well.

    The Raiders fans that disagreed with the call showed their disagreement in a respectable fashion on social media after the game. They unleashed loud boos when the call was made in the third period, but no one did anything over the line crazy. The Raiders fans handled things well.

The Warriors are in position to win their playoff series with the Raiders.

    At the NHL level, there has been talk of dissatisfaction with how the whole concept of goalie interference has been dealt with this season.

    It is highly likely the whole rule will be revisited and debated at various league meetings in the NHL and WHL in the off-season.

    For now, the call to disallow Fonstad’s goal was just a tough call.

    It was nice to see all parties including the officials, the Raiders, the Warriors, the media and the fans treat that situation respectfully.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Pats/Warriors rivalry evolves

Punch ups of the past replaced by speed and skill

Altercations like these are no longer frequent at Pats vs. Warriors games.

    REGINA – Welcome to the new era feud between the Regina Pats and Moose Jaw Warriors, and if you are an ardent fan from the past, you might not recognize it.

    Separated by about a 71-kilometre stretch on the Trans-Canada Highway, the Pats and Warriors have engaged in arguably the greatest rivalry in the Canadian Hockey League dating back to 1984, when the Warriors moved from Winnipeg to the friendly small Saskatchewan city of Moose Jaw.

    For a majority of the history of this rivalry, the clashes between the Pats and Warriors were punctuated by three-hour games that includes multiple fights and line brawls. Fans on both sides got into various over-the-line antics in the stands to create wild atmospheres any time these two clubs met.

    Over the past 10 years, the image of the rivalry has changed much like hockey has changed thanks to a sharp decrease in fighting. On Saturday in Regina, these two arch-rivals met in a sold out Brandt Centre skating in as two of the elite teams in major junior hockey. The contest was played at a fast pace that featured momentum changes, skill, great goaltending and a total of six minor penalties.

Jake Leschyshyn (#19) and Noah Gregor (#22) battle for a draw.

    The Warriors skated away with a 4-1 victory that included an empty net goal thanks to a spectacular 39 save performance by star netminder Zach Sawchenko. Pats goalie Tyler Brown was stellar too turning away 34 of 37 shots he faced.

    The closest thing to an altercation came just over four minutes into the third period, when Pats star captain Adam Brooks had a lengthy wrestling match with Warriors defenceman Josh Brook. Each received a minor penalty for roughing.

    At the end of the game, there was a minor scrum in the left corner of the Moose Jaw zone. In the old days with a three-goal difference on the scoreboard, a line brawl would have definitely broken out.

Warriors goalie Zach Sawchenko stops Pats captain Adam Brooks (#77).

    When the scrum neared Sawchenko, he kind of glided away from it in a whatever type fashion. In a different time, another goalie in that same instance might have taken liberty to throw a few shots.

    The officials calmly separated the scrum and no penalties were called.  

    The gathering of 6,484 spectators, which did include a healthy contingent from Moose Jaw, seemed pretty engaged with the action. There no punch ups or incidents in the stands, and it seemed like the spectators preferred to engage more in firing off some good-natured jabs at each other.

    No mascots had to be healthy scratched like in the final game of the 1999-2000 campaign in Regina. In that clash, the Pats gave dog mascot, K9, and polar bear mascot, Pat, the night off due to fears of retaliation because some Pats fans punched Warriors mascot, Puckhead, in the head the night before in Moose Jaw.

Warriors fans cheer their team on in the Brandt Centre.

    On Saturday, the fans were still cheering hard for their teams, and that was one fact that didn’t change. When the Warriors carried play during the first 10 minutes of the first period and through the second stanza, their fans tried to make the Brandt Centre sound like the rowdy old Moose Jaw Civic Centre, which was best known as “The Crushed Can.” The Civic Centre has been demolished and replaced by the comfortable and modern confines of Mosaic Place in recent times.

    When the Pats carried play during the final 10 minutes of the first period and through the third frame, their fans got into the contest to back their side. One had to also chuckle from the fact the Pats fans made the loudest “boos” of the night, when it was announced in the third period a patron from Moose Jaw won the night’s 50/50 draw.

Pats centre Jake Leschyshyn (#19) wins a battle along the boards.

    During the post-game interviews with each side, it felt like a professionalism was there. Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock, Pats defenceman Connor Hobbs and Warriors head coach Tim Hunter went through the ins and outs of various aspects of the game. There was a focus from each side about what improvements had to be made going forward.

    While the thoughts of the rivalry were there, the Warriors, who improved to 25-9-6-1, weren’t that much over excited about the win, and the Pats, who fell to 27-4-6-1, weren’t noticeably more disappointed than normal about the loss.

Tyler Brown holds the fort in the Pats goal.

    Back in what seems like a forgotten era now, each side would be accusing the other of doing something underhanded during the game. Also, the victor would celebrate like the Memorial Cup was won, and at times, some members of the losing side would fire their helmets down the hallway in disgust followed by an assortment of curse words.

    Sawchenko, who has played his whole career in Moose Jaw, did give a nod to the rivalry.

    “Obviously, it is the best rivalry in the CHL,” said the 19-year-old puck stopper. “Being a part of it for four years now I truly believe that.

    “It is something pretty special. It is obviously not too hard to get up for a game against Regina. It is something pretty cool to hear our fan buses quiet the whole building tonight.”

Warriors captain Brett Howden looks to get past Pats centre Sam Steel.

    In the past, each side cheered against a villain from the other side. Warriors fans despised former Pats captain Barret Jackman, and Pats fans wished former Warriors captain Sean O’Connor would just disappear.

    And who could forget in the late 1980s when the song “Pop Goes the Weasel” played in Regina when Theo Fleury took the ice for the Warriors.

    The modern version of the rivalry is still intense. The hatred definitely isn’t there like it once was.

    Now, you get two top quality teams going at it putting on a great display of the game, and you have two fan bases that are just the right amount into the game. You add it all up, and it is still an enjoyable night out at the rink.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.