LAST GAME… Lethbridge outshot the Warriors 45-22 last Saturday and handed Moose Jaw a narrow 4-2 loss at the Events Centre. Ethan Semeniuk and Aiden Ziprick had one goal each, Riley Thorpe and Ethan Hughes had one assist, and Josh Banini made 41 saves. Moose Jaw was 0-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Career year for Ziprick… 19-year-old defenceman Aiden Ziprick has 10 goals, 23 assists, and 33 points in 41 games, setting new single-season career highs in all three categories. Last year with Lethbridge and Moose Jaw, Ziprick had one goal, eight assists, and nine points in 54 games.
Semeniuk is setting a new standard… 19-year-old Ethan Semeniuk has 11 goals, five assists, and 16 points in 26 games this season. His 11 goals are one back of his single-season high of 12 set back in 2022 – 2023. He is eight points back of his single-season high of 24 last season.
Special Teams… In January, the Warriors’ power play has goals in five of seven games and is 8-for-22 (36.4%). In their last five games at home, the power play is 8-for-16 (50.0%). The penalty kill has allowed goals in four of seven games however, it has not allowed a goal in three straight games. This month, the penalty kill has allowed six goals on 22 opportunities (72.7%), and in the last five games at home, they have allowed three goals on 19 opportunities (84.2%).
Shots… In 41 games this season, the Warriors have been outshot by the opponent 32 times, the most in the WHL. In these games, their record is 5-23-2-2. Moose Jaw has outshot its opponents in seven games; their record is 3-2-2.
Opposition Preview… Portland enters the weekend with a record of 24-15-2-1 and sits fifth in the Western Conference. They are 6-3-0-1 in their last ten games and coming off a 4-3 shootout win in Saskatoon on Wednesday. Kyle Chyzowski leads Portland with 30 goals and 69 points, Tyson Jugnauth has 47 assists and 58 points, and Diego Buttazonni has 22 goals and 50 points.
2023 – 2024 vs. Portland… This is the Warriors and Winterhawks only meeting of the season and their first since the 2024 WHL Championship series.
Last season, the Warriors went 1-0 against the Winterhawks, picking up a narrow 4-3 win in Portland on February 28, 2024. Matthew Savoie led Moose Jaw with two goals and three points, Atley Calvert had three assists, and Jagger Firkus and Denton Mateychuk had one goal each. Nate Danielson and Gabe Klassen led Portland with a goal and two points each.
They last played a regular-season game in Moose Jaw on January 13, 2023. On this night, the Warriors doubled the Winterhawks 4-2. Eric Alarie led the Warriors with two goals, and Ryder Korczak and Cosmo Wilson each had one goal. Luca Cagnoni led Portland with two assists, and Jack O’Brien and James Stefan each had one goal.
Portland’s last win in Moose Jaw was on January 5, 2019, when they blanked the Warriors 6-0. Nick Cicek led the Winterhawks with three assists and four players, including Moose Jaw product Reece Newkirk, had a goal and two points each.
Central Scouting… Five Moose Jaw Warriors appear on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings. Lynden Lakovic is 12th among North American skaters, Noah Degenstein is 143rd, Connor Schmidt sits 206th, and Aiden Ziprick is 221st. Import forward Dominik Pavlik is ranked 60th among international skaters.
O’Leary moving up… Mark O’Leary is entering his fourth full season as the Warriors Head Coach. He took over the reins in January 2020, and in 318 games on the bench, he has a record of 160-130-16-12. He is third in games coached in franchise history; Tim Hunter is second with 356. His 160 wins rank second on the team’s all-time list.
Streaking
- Landen McFadden has 2-3-5pts in the last seven games
- Ethan Semeniuk has 9-1-10pts in the last 11 games
- Luke Moroz has 0-4-4pts in the last three games
- Pavel McKenzie has 4-4-8pts in the last nine games
- Aiden Ziprick has 5-15-20pts in the last 14 games
- Riley Thorpe has 1-3-4pts in the last seven games
Milestone Watch
- Ethan Hughes is five games away from 100 for his career