Warriors fly to new heights in memorable 2023-24 campaign

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Atley Calvert was a star with his hometown Warriors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucas Brenon was a steady defenceman for the Warriors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WHL in its longest Memorial Cup drought ever, other notes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Moose Jaw and Warriors fans deserve WHL title win

Denton Mateychuk circles the ice with the Ed Chynoweth Cup. 

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

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

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

Warriors fans cheer their team winning the WHL title.

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

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

Denton Mateychuk smiles lifting the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

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

Chants went up of, “We want the cup!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Atley Calvert hugs his mom Joanne Calvert.

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

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

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

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

Matthew Savoie enjoys a skate with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

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

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

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

Lynden Lakovic pumps up a group of Warriors fans.

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

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

The Warriors fans show their passion for their team.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Just too sweet – Warriors relish first WHL championship win

The Warriors celebrate winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

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

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

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

Denton Mateychuk lifts the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

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

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

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

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

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

Warriors fans celebrate their team’s WHL title win.

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

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

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

Warriors players lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brayden Schuurman scored the winning goal in Game 4.

“It was just pure joy and pure excitement.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Warriors fans cheer their team in Game 4 on Wednesday.

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

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

Kyle Chyzowski had the Winterhawks first goal in Game 4.

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

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

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

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

Marcus Nguyen scored the Winterhawks second goal in Game 4.

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew Savoie had the Warriors second goal on Wednesday.

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

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

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

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

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

Denton Mateychuk was MVP of the WHL Playoffs.

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

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

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

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

The Warriors begin celebrating their WHL title win.

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

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

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

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

Brayden Schuurman enjoys a WHL title win with family.

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

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

“I think that helped.”

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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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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Game 7- final chapter comes for epic Blades/Warriors series

WHL’s Eastern Conference title goes to winner

Charlie Wright could potentially play his last WHL game on Tuesday.

Charlie Wright is having a career WHL post-season, and now he is looking for one more big game to keep his WHL career alive.

The 20-year-old defenceman is a career member of the Saskatoon Blades and the longest tenured member of the team. The Blades selected Wright in the third round and 70^th overall in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

The Olds, Alta., product joined the Blades as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2019-20 campaign. In his time with the Blades, Wright played in 256 career regular season games recording 15 goals, 89 assists and plus-43 rating in the plus-minus department.

He has appeared in all of the Blades 15 games to date in the 2024 WHL Playoffs posting five goals, eight assists and a plus-10 rating.

On Tuesday, Wright’s Blades face the Moose Jaw Warriors in Game 7 of the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series. The winner takes the Eastern Conference title and advances to the WHL Championship Series, while the losing squad heads off into the off-season.

Wright is tightly attached emotionally to the Blades and is proud and honoured to be a member of Saskatoon’s major junior franchise.

“It has been awesome,” said Wright. “I’ve loved being with the Blades all five years.

“It has been a blessing. I love the city. I love the organization.

“I would say it is the best in the WHL. It is fantastic the way we are treated. I absolutely love it and don’t want it to end.”

Denton Mateychuk leads the WHL with 27 points in the playoffs.

Going into the Eastern Conference Championship Series, it was expected the Blades and Warriors would put on a battle, and the series has greatly exceeded those expectations that were set at the outset.

During the regular season, the Blades topped the WHL’s overall standings with a 50-13-2-3 record and were rated sixth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Warriors finished fifth overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 44-21-0-3 mark.

The two sides split their six head-to-head encounters in the regular season without having to go to extra time.

In the Eastern Conference Championship Series, the two clubs split the first six encounters of the set with five of those contests going to overtime. The Blades have won three games in overtime, while the Warriors have won twice in extra time and once in regulation.

Wright believes it could be the deciding factor in the series that his squad hosts Game 7 at the SaskTel Centre. The Blades are potentially expecting their biggest crowd of the overall 2023-24 campaign.

“I think we earned it throughout the regular season,” said Wright. “It is definitely nice to have it at home and have our fans loud.”

Warriors captain and star offensive-defenceman Denton Mateychuk leads the WHL in post-season scoring with 27 points coming off eight goals and 19 assists to go with a plus-19 rating. Warriors star right-winger Jagger Firkus sits second in post-season scoring with 26 points coming off 11 goals and 15 assists to go with a plus-seven rating.

Blades star import right-winger Egor Sidorov leads the WHL post-season with 15 goals to go along with eight assists and a plus-nine rating.

Warriors veteran centre Brayden Schuurman said it is easy to get up for a game like Tuesday’s Game 7, because the Eastern Conference title and a berth in the WHL Championship Series is on the line.

Egor Sidorov leads the WHL with 15 goals in the playoffs.

“As a hockey player and as an athlete, that is really what you look forward to,” said Schuurman. “I think big Game 7s, big moments, win or lose, winner take all, I think that gets our group excited.

“I think we have a lot of big game players. I think we are really excited to get moving in this Game 7.”

Warriors 17-year-old sophomore right-winger Lynden Lakovic said his squad has to get out to a good start in Game 7 like they did in Game 6. In Game 6 on Sunday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre in Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored first, held 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission, and ultimately won 4-3 in overtime with Lakovic getting the winner.

Moose Jaw fell behind 3-2 in the third before Warriors veteran right-winger Rilen Kovacevic scored the equalizer that tied the game 3-3 and forced overtime.

The Blades have scored first in four out of the first six games in the series. Lakovic said those slow starts put his squad in a spot where they were chasing the game for a short time.

“We have to play a full 60,” said Lakovic. “I thought (in Game 6) we had a really good start, but I though this series I think their starts have been better.

“I think we have to have a start like (in Game 6) and just play a full 60, not give up or let up for 10 or 15 minutes or a period and just keep on going.”

Last year, the Blades won two Game 7s in the WHL Playoffs to advance to the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series, where they fell in four games to the Winnipeg Ice. Blades head coach Brennan Sonne said he has unlimited faith in his guys going into Game 7.

Jagger Firkus has 26 points for the Warriors in the post-season.

“We’ve been here before,” said Sonne. “This group went to multiple Game 7s last year.

“For us, it is really just to focus on our competitive habits that would be the main thing. Anything can happen in Game 7. They’re wild, so really it is just about our compete and effort that is what our focus is.”

Both the Blades and Warriors have gotten big saves from their goaltenders in the post-season. Blades breakout rookie netminder Evan Gardner has posted a 10-3 record, a 2.29 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and one shutout. 

Warriors star goalie Jackson Unger has recorded an 11-3 record, a 3.22 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.

Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said Tuesday’s Game 7 where a conference champion and a berth in the league final is decided are the types of games you want to be in.

“You can smell it,” said O’Leary. “It is right there.

“It is one game. There is nothing you need to say to try and get the players excited or energized for it. Both teams have played the same amount of games here throughout the playoffs.

“Everybody is tired. Everybody is sore. You just really need to bring your very best game for one game and lay it out there with the prize being the chance to play in the final. I think that is special, and this group deserves it.”

Wright said he is going to do everything he can to help his Blades pull out victory. With the way the series has gone, Wright has a suspicion that the series will be decided in one specific way.

“It probably is going to go into overtime looking at the other games here,” said Wright. “It is going to be exciting.

Blades D Tanner Molendyk (#24) battles Warriors RW Lynden Lakovic.

“It is a Game 7. They are always intense. It should be a good game.”

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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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.