RED HOT WARRIORS
Goals aplenty and three straight wins for Tribe over fellow top contenders Brandon and Swift Current and Brandon
If the Moose Jaw Warriors knew what would transpire after they lost their first game after the Christmas break to the Swift Current Broncos, you can almost bet they would take that loss any time. Since falling 5-4 in Swift Current on Dec. 27, the Tribe has been on an epic offensive roll — to the tune of 39 goals in six games, the first three against East Division teams they’re battling for the overall lead in the Western Hockey League; the second three coming last week on a swing through the Central Division.
The Warriors won the second game of the home-and-home series 8-2 over the second-place Broncos on Dec. 28 and followed that with two commanding wins over third-place Brandon: a 7-4 victory in Brandon on Dec. 30 and a 6-2 win over the Wheat Kings at Mosaic Place on Dec. 31.
The Tribe then took to the road to kick off 2018 and kept right on rolling with a 6-3 win in Red Deer on Jan. 3, a 5-3 win over Calgary on Jan. 5 and a 7-2 win over Edmonton Jan. 6.
The end result saw the Warriors with a 336-1-2 record as of Jan. 10, good enough for an eight-point lead over the Broncos in first-place overall and 14 points over third-place Brandon.
“We had these games circled on the calendar for sure, and we’d like to clamp down a bit on some of the goals and chances that we gave up, but at the end of the day we’re doing a lot of things right with the goals we’re scoring,” said Warriors coach Mark O’Leary, who assumed head coaching duties while Tim Hunter was coaching Team Canada at the World Junior championships. “We’re getting offence from a lot of different places, so it’s exciting.”
Warriors 8, Broncos 2
The Warriors blew open a close 4-2 game with four unanswered goals in the third period to secure the win.
Jayden Halbgewachs had two goals and an assist, while Justin Almeida, Tristan Langan, Luka Burzan and Dmitri Zaitsev each had a goal and an assist. Vince Loschiavo and Oleg Sosunov scored had their other markers.
Brody Willms turned aside 28 shots in taking the win.
Warriors 7 Brandon 4
The Tribe’s sudden scoring depth was once again on display in Brandon, as Ryan Peckford scored twice and added two assists, Brayden Burke extended his lead atop the WHL scoring race with a goal and four assists and Almeida added four helpers.
Halbgewachs and Langan each had a goal and an assist; Jett Woo and Tanner Jeannot had their other goals.
“If you look at teams that have won championships in the past, having three lines that can score on any given night and having a fourth line that is reliable and can go out there and not be afraid of what’s going to happen,” O’Leary said. “It’s a work in progress, but we’re pretty happy with what we’ve seen so far.”
Willms had 29 stops in the win.
Warriors 6 Brandon 2
Halbgewachs scored twice and added three assists, bringing his league-leading goal total to 40 for the season. Burke had a goal and two helpers; Jeannot scored once and added an assist, Langan continued his impressive play with a pair of markers. “Guys like Tristan Langan have been stepping up now that (team captain Brett) Howden is gone (to World Juniors), he’s been playing some big minutes and playing against some big-time lines and he’s been producing,” O’Leary said. “That’s the kind of thing you need over a long season and it’s good for the whole group.” Willms was again the winning goaltender, making 25 saves.
Warriors 6 Red Deer 4
The Warriors kicked off their road swing with one of its most dominant performances in recent team history, outshooting Red Deer 69-21, including 33-7 in the second period alone.
Conversely, Willms only had to make 18 saves total in the contest, fewer than Rebels goaltender Riley Lamb faced in each of the first two periods.
Burke had two goals and an assist, Loschiavo, Peckford, Halbgewachs and Tristyn DeRoose the other goals. Almeida added two helpers.
Warriors 5 Calgary 3
It was more of the same two nights later, as the Tribe built a 4-0 lead and led 5-1 late in the third when the Hitmen scored two late goals.
Jeannot scored twice and added an assist while Halbgewach moved into second in WHL scoring behind Burke with a goal and an assist. Loschiavo and Zaitsev also had a goal and two points each; Langan had two assists.
Adam Evanoff got the start and made 18 saves before leaving with an apparent injury. Willms stopped a pair in relief.
Warriors 7 Edmonton 2
A back-and-forth battle in the first period turned into another rout as the Warriors broke open a 2-2 contest after the first with a pair of goals in the second and three more in the third.
Almeida and Halbgewachs (two goals each) and Burke (three assists) continued to lead the way. Burke now has 21 goals and 83 points on the season, seven up on Halbgewachs’ league-leading 44 goals and 76 points. Almeida has risen to eighth in scoring (24-37-61).
Jeannot, Tate Popple and Luka Burzan also scored.
Willms faced 16 shots in taking the win. The Warriors returned to action Jan. 10 at home against Calgary, with their next game Jan. 12 against Edmonton (7 p.m., Mosaic Place).