PREVIEW – Warriors & Wheat Kings renew rivalry
LAST GAME… Saskatoon scored five goals in the third period last night and beat the Warriors 5-2 at SaskTel Centre. Ethan Semeniuk and Lynden Lakovic had one goal each for the Warriors, Rilen Kovacevic picked up two assists, and Josh Banini made 22 saves. Moose Jaw was 1-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Career year for Kov… 20-year-old Rilen Kovacevic is saving his best for last. In his final year in the WHL, he has 20 goals, 15 assists, and 35 points in 28 games. He has already posted career highs in goals and points and is two assists shy of tying his career-high set last year (17). Since November 2, Kovacevic has 18 goals and 24 points in 16 games.
Close Encounters… In 32 games this season, the Warriors have gone into the third period tied 11 times, the second most in the WHL. In these games, Moose Jaw has posted a record of 2-7-1-1.
Shots… In 32 games this season, the Warriors have been outshot by the opponent 24 times, the most in the WHL. Their record is 3-19-1-1. Moose Jaw has outshot its opponents in six games; their record is 3-1-2.
Opposition Preview… The Brandon Wheat Kings come into tonight with a record of 15-10-3-2. They are 5-4-0-1 in their last ten games and are coming off a 7-3 loss last night to the Regina Pats. Marcus Nguyen leads Brandon with 15 goals and 31 points, Matteo Michels has 13 goals and 27 points, and Dominik Petr has 26 points.
2024 – 2025 vs. Brandon… This is the third of eight meetings this season between the Warriors and Wheat Kings and their first in Saskatchewan. Moose Jaw is 1-1 against Brandon after splitting two games in Manitoba. The Warriors are 1-for-5 on the power play (20.0%) and have allowed two goals on six penalty kills (66.7%).
Lynden Lakovic leads the Warriors with three goals and four points against the Wheat Kings, Rilen Kovacevic has one goal and four points, Aiden Ziprick has one goal and two points, and Connor Schmidt has one goal. Brady Smith is 1-0 with a 3.69gaa and a .907sv%.
Roger McQueen leads the Wheat Kings with four goals against the Warriors, Marcus Nguyen has one goal and four points, Quinn Mantei has three assists, Caleb Hadland and Luke Shipley have one goal and two points each, and Nicholas Johnson has two assists. Ethan Eskit is 1-0-0-1 with a 2.88gaa and a .889sv%.
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. In 311 games on the bench, he has a record of 159-126-15-11. He is third in games coached in franchise history; Tim Hunter is second with 356. His 157 wins rank second on the team’s all-time list.
NHL Players to Watch… Warriors Connor Schmidt and Lynden Lakovic were two of the 55 WHL players named to the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch list for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Lakovic received an “A” rating while Schmidt received a “W” rating.
Streaking
- Ethan Semeniuk has 2-2-4pts in his last five games
- Lynden Lakovic is on a 13-game point streak (10-9-19pts)
- Pavel McKenzie has 4-4-8pts in the last ten games
- Aiden Ziprick has 3-7-10pts in the last 10 games
- Rilen Kovacevic has 14-7-21pts in the last 12 games
Milestone Watch
- Brady Ness is seven games away from 100 for his career
- Pavel McKenzie is five games away from 100 for his career
- Landen Ward is eight games away from 100 for his career
- Owen Berge is seven games away from 100 for his career
- Rilen Kovacevic is seven games away from 200 for his career
