It’s safe to say that the first half of the Western Hockey League season has been a success for the Moose Jaw Warriors.
It’s also safe to say that with just a bit more consistency, it could have been an exceptionally good first half.
The Warriors opened their post-Christmas schedule with a 3-1 victory over the Winnipeg Ice on Dec. 28, improving to 21-12-0-0 on the season and holding down fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It’s a position in the standings they’ve settled into since the first month of the season, a run that’s seen Moose Jaw close to within a couple of points of third before falling back to the pack.
The goal now is to take that next step and reach the point where they can make up the current eight-point gap on third-place Saskatoon, second-place Red Deer and WHL-leading Winnipeg.
“The first half, with how we played I’d say we put ourselves in the category of a B-plus and we’re trying to get into that A category,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “Winnipeg is certainly in that A category, so if you want to hang with those teams that are a step above right now you have to beat them and we showed we can do that again (Wednesday) night.
The unquestionable highlight of the first half was the team’s performance through their gruelling seven-game road trip through the B.C. and Central Divisions at the end of November. The Warriors put together a 5-2 record and knocked off B.C, Division leaders Kamloops and Vancouver before taking down Red Deer on the way home.
The news hasn’t been all good, though, as the Warriors also have home-ice losses to teams more than a dozen wins behind them in the standings. Finding the consistency to habitually defeat the league’s lesser lights while continuing to pick up wins against teams ahead of them is a key going forward.
“Our team has always shown that we play our best hockey against the best teams and that’s always a good sign,” O’Leary said. “Red Deer and Winnipeg, we have a couple of wins against them now and that’s a good sign that we can rise to the occasion.
“If we want to be a great team, it’s taking care of business not only when you’re playing teams ahead of you, but teams behind you and teams you want to keep behind you. That’s a sign of a great team and that’s what we’re working on.”
One thing that’s for certain is the Warriors have no shortage of firepower to get the job done.
Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus (34 GP-19 goals-24 assists-43 points) leads the team in scoring and has moved up to 11th among WHL leaders, four points out of the top three. He also leads the league with seven game-winning goals.
Brayden Yager (33-18-23-41) is also off to an expected stellar start in his NHL Draft year and is 19th in league scoring, earning an ‘A’ ranking from the Central Scouting Bureau and a likely top-10 selection in the Draft this summer.
Team captain Denton Mateychuk (29-6-26-32) has shown why the Columbus Blue Jackets made him a first-round pick last season, as his solid defensive play has been nicely complemented by his regular offence. He sits seventh in scoring among all WHL defencemen.
Then, of course, there’s Ryder Korczak (14-11-13-24). The overage forward was returned to the Warriors by the New York Rangers at the end of November and has been on a predictable tear since.
“Certainly getting Ryder Korczak back, we’re a different team,” O’Leary said. “We’re 11-4 with him in the line-up and were 10-8 without him, so that’s certainly helped us. I think we’re a team that’s improving as we go here and there are a lot of good teams in our conference.
It’s going to be a wild race to the end and a real tough playoff, but we just need to worry about us and keep climbing as the season goes on here.”
The Warriors' goaltending has also been a highlight, led by overager Connor Ungar. Like Carl Tetachuk last season, he’s been a rock in the Moose Jaw net after being acquired in the off-season and is third in the WHL in wins with 16 against only five losses. Ungar’s .924 save percentage is second-best in the league, and his 2.56 goals against average is 12th overall.
Jackson Unger has also had his moments of brilliance and sports a 3.94 GAA, .873 SP with a 5-7-0-0 record.
The Warriors don’t have to look far into the past to see how they can get on a second-half roll, as that’s exactly what happened after the early January trade deadline last season when they put together an eight-game winning streak and were among the WHL’s top teams after Christmas.
“We’re very process driven, and to put a winning streak together, it’s all about winning that next one,” O’Leary said. “To do that, you have to stay in the moment and while we get excited about wins like this, whether it’s a tough loss or big win, you have to turn the page quick and get ready to do it all again. That’s what we plan on doing.”
The Warriors are back on the ice on Friday night when they take on the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first of a weekend home-and-home series. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
