Warriors’ Brkin stymies Pats in home-ice debut
Goalie puts 2017 rude awakening to rest with 43 saves to help Moose Jaw’s 5-3 win
MOOSE JAW It’s safe to say that Bailey Brkin’s first home game with the Moose Jaw Warriors went better than his last visit to Mosaic Place.
Like a scar that won’t fade, the night of March 18, 2017, is etched in Brkin’s memory due to an inauspicious WHL debut with the Swift Current Broncos.
Moose Jaw gave the young netminder a rude welcome in his first start, scoring 10 goals on 53 shots en route to a 10-5 blowout victory.
“He’s come a long way since then,” Warriors head coach Tim Hunter said Saturday after Brkin make 43 saves in a first-star performance, backstopping his new team to a 5-3 decision over the Regina Pats.
Not bad for a guy who was plucked off the street just a couple weeks ago. “It felt amazing,” Brkin said of Saturday’s win. “It definitely felt a lot better than the last time I played in this rink. I’d say (Saturday night) was a pretty big improvement (laughs).”
Brkin has put on a lot of miles since that fateful debut, playing on four different teams over the past four seasons. Swift Current traded him to the Kootenay Ice early in 2017-18 and he was flipped later that season to the Spokane Chiefs.
Brkin found a home in Spokane, where he compiled a 27-111-2 record last season with a 2.75 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and two shutouts. He was even better in the playoffs (9-6 record, 2.55 GAA, .922 SP) but it wasn’t enough to earn one of three 20-year-old spots on the team this season.
“It’s definitely really tough,” he said of being caught in an overage logjam. “If you look at that Spokane team (last season), I think we had probably one of the best groups of (19-year-olds) in the league.
“I understand why the move happened. I understand it’s hockey. I wish all the best for those guys in Spokane. I love those guys but it’s just a new chapter of my life here in Moose Jaw.”
The Warriors picked up Brkin about five weeks after he was released by Spokane. They needed a veteran goalie to fill in for Adam Evanoff, who’s recovering from off-season hip surgery.
“I’ve been in this position before when I was with Kootenay,” Brkin said. “It sucks that it didn’t work out there but I got the call to Spokane. I took the opportunity and ran with it. I intend to do the same thing here.”
The Warriors felt fortunate to land Brkin without having to give up any compensation. It’s not every day that you can add a starting goalie as a free agent, but they’ve done it two years in a row.
“We did a little bit of the same last year with Brodan Salmond,” Hunter said. “We knew his character was really high. He came in and really solidified our team. He was kind of a glue guy with our team as far as being a close-knit group. Bailey is a lot the same.”
He proved it against the Pats, who peppered Brkin with 46 shots. They didn’t beat him until the last five minutes of the third period, scoring three quick goals to make things interesting.
“(Brkin) made some saves early, without a doubt,” Pats head coach Dave Struch said. “When you look back to last year, even when we did have good games, we couldn’t score goals. We had visions of last year (on Saturday) but those are things we have to battle through when you’re up against a good goalie. If it takes 55 shots, then you have to get those 55 shots.”
The Pats fell a little short and had to settle for a home-and-home split against Moose Jaw after prevailing 3-2 on Friday at the Brandt Centre.
Despite Saturday’s setback, there were a lot more good things than bad on the opening weekend of the season. “The one (negative) is that penalties killed our momentum,” Struch said. “The good thing is we got a lot of momentum back and we never gave up. We played really good 60-minute games. Obviously it’s a split but the things we did this weekend are a sign of growth. We feel it’s a good start to the season.”
We had visions of last year (on Saturday) but those are things we have to battle through when you’re up against a good goalie.