Warriors post 2-2 record in up-and-down week
The Moose Jaw Warriors had another up and down week in the Western Hockey League East Division Hub, but the light continues to burn brightly at the end of the tunnel.
That’s because the team’s top offensive talent was among those who returned to the line-up after a long stretch out with an upper body injury.
Forward Ryder Korczak played his first game in two weeks on Apr. 7 against the Winnipeg Ice and would have four points in three games. He was joined by forward Cade Hayes and defenceman Max Wanner in making their return against the Ice.
“It was a long time coming,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “We have most of our line-up back where it was at the start of the year, so that’s exciting. A guy like Korczak especially, not just his skill level but his demeanour off the ice, he has that infectious personality and loves being around the rink and has that enthusiasm that makes us a better team. It’s great to get all those guys back in, Hayser brings a lot to our offence, he’s a guy that just needs one shot to score, and Max play so well at both ends of the ice, it’s nice to get him on the right side with (team captain) Daemon (Hunt).”
The Warriors opened the week on Apr. 5 against the Regina Pats and once again pulled off an impressive comeback against their arch-rivals, scoring three unanswered goals in regulation and then capping things off in the shootout for a 4-3 win.
Jagger Firkus scored the shootout winner and assisted on
Eric Alarie’s game-tying goal with 17 seconds remaining, continuing an impressive rookie season. “Jagger is young but he is flat out one of our most offensively gifted players,” O’Leary said.
“(He’s so good because of) his thinking, his skillset with the puck, and he’s in great spots. Even in traffic, he is able to put the pucks in places to help his linemates. He’s real crafty, he’s got a head for the game and he’s a guy that can play in big situations, whether it’s in the middle or on the right side. We also feel like we can trust him in defensive zone situations, he’s a smart kid, he understands the game well and he has earned everything he has gotten.”
Kade Runke and Josh Hoekstra also scored, with each picking up their first goal of the season. Cole Jordan had two assists.
Brett Mirwald made 39 saves in goal for the Warriors, who had 36 shots on Regina.
Things didn’t go as well in their next game against Winnipeg, even with their returnees.
The Ice scored four in the first and held off another Moose Jaw comeback to take a 6-3 win.
Firkus, Denton Mateychuk and Atley Calvert scored for the Warriors. Mirwald had 25 saves.
The Warriors got back on the winning track on Apr. 9, getting two goals and an assist from Korczak in a 6-2 win over Swift Current.
Hunt and Riley Krane also had three points each with a goal and two assists, while Alarie and Doust had their other markers. Mirwald made 27 stops in the win. Moose Jaw closed out the week on Apr. 10 dropping a hard-fought 4-2 decision to Saskatoon. Brayden Yager and Tate Popple scored, Alarie picked up two assists. Boston Bilous returned from injury and had 24 saves. The Warriors are now 7-8-1-0 on the season and tied for fourth with Regina in the East Divsiion standings. They’re back on the ice for three games this week, as they take on the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday (4 p.m.), Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday (8 p.m.) and Brandon again on Saturday (4 p.m.).