The Moose Jaw Warriors are poised for their first Memorial Cup appearance

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The Moose Jaw Warriors are poised to compete for the Memorial Cup for the first time in franchise history.

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After clinching the Western Hockey League championship with a win over the Western Conference champion Portland Winterhawks, the Warriors earned a spot in the Canadian Hockey League championship, which begins Friday in Saginaw, Mich., with the Warriors taking on the host Saginaw Spirit (5:30). pm, TSN).

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After Friday’s game against Saginaw, the Warriors will have a few days off before taking on the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights on Monday and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Drummondville Voltigeurs on Tuesday, both games starting at 5:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time.

“They’re the top three teams in all three leagues and the home team, so they’re good teams,” Warriors captain and WHL playoff MVP Denton Mateychuk told reporters in Moose Jaw before leaving for Saginaw. “It’s going to be a challenge, but for our group, I think we’re all excited about it.”

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The Warriors finished the regular season with a 44-21-1 record, which was fifth best in the WHL. But since the January trade deadline, Moose Jaw has been one of the best teams in the league, and they’ve proven it with a 16-1-3 record during the playoffs.

Like the Warriors, both the Knights and Voltigeurs swept their opponent in the championship series, which is the first time in CHL history that has happened.

London finished the postseason with a 16-2-0 record, while Drummondville was 16-2-1. Saginaw, meanwhile, lost in six games to London in the OHL Western Conference Finals.

The Knights – who finished atop the OHL this season with a 50-14-4 record – will be making their sixth appearance since 2005, which is the most by any CHL club in 20 years. London is also the only team in this year’s tournament to have won the Memorial Cup (2005 and 2016).

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Drummondville – which finished second in the QMJHL this season with a 48-14-6 record – has made three appearances in the tournament, its last appearance coming in 2009.

Like the Warriors, Saginaw — the second-place team just two points behind London in the OHL with a 50-16-2 record — will make its Memorial Cup debut.

“All four teams deserve to be there,” said Warriors forward Brayden Yager, who had 27 points in 20 games during the WHL playoffs. “It’s going to be a fun tournament and it’s going to be a really good challenge for us.

“We’re here for a reason, too, and I think if we go out there and play our game and play hard and stick with our identity, we’ll be good.”

Following the four-team round-robin schedule, the top team will earn a spot in the championship game on June 2, while the second- and third-place teams will battle it out on June 1 in the semifinals.

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If there is a tie for third place, there will be a tie-breaker played on 30 May, with the winner advancing to the semi-final.

World Junior Connections

While the Warriors haven’t faced any of their Memorial Cup opponents this year, some of the players are familiar.

At this year’s World Junior Hockey Championships, both Mateychuk and Yager suited up for Team Canada alongside teammates Matthew Savoie and Jagger Firkus, who was a late addition to the roster.

There are several others on Canada’s roster who will compete in the Memorial Cup this year, including Easton Cowan, a first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who was named the OHL playoff MVP after scoring 34 points in 18 games for Knights during the playoffs. run. Also with London, Oliver Bonk accumulated 16 points in 18 games from the blue line.

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Ethan Gauthier was Drummondville’s leading scorer during the playoffs as he scored 25 points in 19 games. Voltigeurs defenseman Maveric Lamoureux also wore the maple leaf, but did not play in the playoffs due to injury.

And for Saginaw, Owen Beck, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, had 14 points in 17 playoff games, while Jorian Donovan had nine points in 17 playoff games.

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