Marc Smith/MJ Warriors

The Moose Jaw Warriors went into the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and took both games to open the 2024 WHL Championship Series, presented by Nutrien.

The Warriors took a 2-0 series lead on the Portland Winterhawks with a 5-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday night.

“Just real proud of the effort,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said. “We talked all day about what we were going to expect from Portland, a hard push, second one at home here and I just thought we came ready to go.”

The Moose Jaw Warriors struck first in the 2024 WHL Championship Series, presented by Nutrien.

Matthew Savoie scored with 3:02 to go in the third period to lift the Warriors to a 3-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks in Game 1 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday night.
 

“It always starts with work, we talk about races-and-battles and that’s what it was,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary on the win.

Moose Jaw, SK – Jagger Firkus has become the second Moose Jaw Warrior to win the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the Western Hockey League’s Player of the Year.

The Seattle Kraken prospect was announced as this year’s winner during the WHL Prospects Draft Show on Thursday.

“It’s an honour to receive the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy,” Firkus said. “I want to congratulate the other four division winners, thank you to the staff and my teammates, without them this doesn’t happen, and thank you to my family as well.”

The Moose Jaw Warriors are four wins away from making history.

Moose Jaw knocked off the regular-season champion Saskatoon Blades 3-2 in overtime in Game 7 to capture the Eastern Conference Championship and move on to the WHL Championship Series for the second time in franchise history and the first time since 2006.

Lynden Lakovic scored the series-clinching goal less than a minute into the extra frame.

Ethan Semeniuk broke through with his first goal of the postseason to open the game, while Saskatoon’s Easton Armstrong leveled the match in the second period.

Moose Jaw Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk has been named the winner of the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the Western Hockey League’s top defenceman.

“It’s a huge honour to win the top defencaman award this year,” Mateychuk said.

“I’d like to take this time to congratulate the other division winners on their great seasons. It was pretty cool to tell my family that I won the award after all we’ve been through together and all they’ve done for me.”

The Moose Jaw Warriors live to fight another day after another thrilling overtime battle in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Championship.

Lynden Lakovic was the overtime hero for the Warriors in Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Saskatoon Blades, lifting home the winner 2:57 into the extra period.

“It just goes to show what playoff hockey is all about,” Lakovic said after scoring his second overtime winner of the playoffs.

For the second straight season, Brayden Yager is the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy winner as the Western Hockey League’s Sportsmanlike Player of the Year.

“It’s an honour to receive this award for the second time,” Yager said.

“I’d like to congratulate the other division winners on their amazing seasons, I’d also like to take the time to thank my coaching staff here in Moose Jaw, my teammates and the entire organization of the Moose Jaw Warriors for all the support to help me get to where I am today.”

Moose Jaw, SK – After a start to forget, the Moose Jaw Warriors showed their resilience once again in Game 4 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship, presented by Nutrien.

The Warriors overcame a 3-0 deficit just over eight minutes into the game, but ended up falling 5-4 in overtime to the Saskatoon Blades in Game 4 on Wednesday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

The best-of-seven series now sits tied at 2-2 heading back to Saskatoon on Friday night.

Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk has been named WHL Player of the Month for April, the Western Hockey League announced Wednesday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets prospect put up six goals and 15 assists for 21 points and a +16 rating in ten playoff games in April.

Mateychuk leads all skaters in postseason points and assists and ranks second in plus/minus.

The Warriors Captain recorded six multipoint games in April, highlighted by a monster six-point night against Swift Current in Game 2 of their second-round series.

Moose Jaw, SK – The Moose Jaw Warriors put together a complete effort to secure a big win on home ice on Tuesday night.

The Warriors took Game 3 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Championship, topping the Saskatoon Blades 3-1 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“That’s a huge game for us,” Warriors goalie Jackson Unger said. “In the third period, I stood tall when I needed to and I made the saves to keep us in the game and we got the result that we were looking for.”