Warriors & Blades come together in first round of 2022 WHL Playoffs
The Moose Jaw Warriors and Saskatoon Blades will come together during the first round of the 2022 WHL Playoffs.
It’s a matchup with some recent familiarity for fans in the East Division. In fact, the 2019 WHL Playoffs featured the Warriors and Blades in yet another first-round clash – a best-of-seven series that the Bridge City boys claimed in sweeping fashion. Prior to 2019, the last playoff meeting between the Warriors and Blades came in 2003, with Moose Jaw dashing the Blades championship hopes in a six-game first-round series.
The 2022 first-round meeting was confirmed on Friday evening after the Blades knocked off the Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 in regulation and the Warriors claimed a point on the road in Lethbridge. Those two outcomes locked the Warriors into the fourth seed in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, while the Blades sit firmly positioned in the fifth seed. The 2022 WHL Playoffs marks the return to the Conference-based playoff format for the first time since the 2014 WHL Playoffs.
The 2021-22 season series between the two East Division rivals was owned by the Blades, who enjoyed a 6-2-0-0 record in eight games. The two teams met as recently as April 1, with Saskatoon claiming a 4-1 triumph on home ice less than a week after the Warriors had trounced the Blades by a 7-0 margin on March 26.
Veteran Blades forward Kyle Crnkovic led all skaters with 13 points (5G-8A) through the season series, followed closely by teammate Tristen Robins (8G-4A) and Warriors forward Jagger Firkus (5G-7A), who each tallied 12 points.
The WHL’s all-time winningest goaltender – Nolan Maier – enjoyed a record of 4-2-0-0 between the pipes for the Blades, while Ethan Chadwick and Austin Elliott also recorded victories. For the Warriors, it was overage netminder Carl Tetachuk making the bulk of the appearances, going 2-2-1 with a 2.53 goals-against average and .925 save percentage in six outings.
Prior to opening the 2022 WHL Playoffs next Friday, the Warriors will wrap up the 2021-22 WHL Regular Season on Sunday when they travel down the highway to Regina to take on the Pats at the Brandt Centre (2 p.m. MT). As for the Blades, they finish the 2021-22 WHL Regular Season with a record of 38-26-3-1.
Game 1 of the first-round series between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Saskatoon Blades is scheduled for Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. MT (Mosaic Place). The series will shift to Saskatoon for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. MT (SaskTel Centre).
Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
1 | Saskatoon | @ | Moose Jaw | Friday, April 22 | 7:00 |
2 | Saskatoon | @ | Moose Jaw | Saturday, April 23 | 7:00 |
3 | Moose Jaw | @ | Saskatoon | Tuesday, April 26 | 7:00 |
4 | Moose Jaw | @ | Saskatoon | Wednesday, April 27 | 7:00 |
5 * | Saskatoon | @ | Moose Jaw | Friday, April 29 | 7:00 |
6 * | Moose Jaw | @ | Saskatoon | Saturday, April 30 | 7:00 |
7 * | Saskatoon | @ | Moose Jaw | Tuesday, May 3 | 7:00 |
* If necessary