PREVIEW – Weekend series against Brandon opens Friday in Moose Jaw
LAST GAME… Edmonton scored four goals in the third period last Saturday and beat the Warriors 6-3 at Rogers Place. Pavel McKenzie led the Warriors with one goal and three points, Krzysztof Macias had a goal and two points, Ethan Semeniuk scored one goal, Connor Schmidt picked up two assists, and Josh Banini made 37 saves on 42 shots. Moose Jaw was 1-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Williams to make debut… 15-year-old defenceman Cohen Williams has joined the Warriors for the weekend. From Cawston, BC, Williams was selected in the 2nd round, 40th overall, at the 2024 WHL Prospect Draft. This season with OHA Penticton, he has four goals, 22 assists, and 26 points in 27 games.
Pavel putting up points… Second-year Warrior Pavel McKenzie has 14 goals, 18 assists, and 32 points in 52 games, and is approaching his single-season marks set last season. In 63 games in 2023 – 2024, McKenzie had 15 goals, 21 assists, and 36 points.
Schmidt is ahead of the pace… Second-year defenceman Connor Schmidt has 7 goals, 10 assists, and 17 points in 52 games. The 17-year-old has surpassed his totals from his rookie season when he had three goals, five assists, and eight points in 41 games.
Hughes stays hot… Second-year forward Ethan Hughes is on a career-high four-game point streak. During this stretch, he has 2 goals, 4 assists, and 6 points. In 51 games this season, Hughes has five goals, 13 assists, and 18 points, surpassing his totals from last year when he had one goal and three points in 48 games.
Career year for Ziprick… 19-year-old defenceman Aiden Ziprick has 10 goals, 25 assists, and 35 points in 52 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 setting a new standard… 19-year-old Ethan Semeniuk has 14 goals, seven assists, and 21 points in 37 games this season. His 14 goals are a new single-season best. He is three points back of his single-season high of 24 from last season.
Shots… In 52 games this season, the Warriors have been outshot by the opponent 42 times, the most in the WHL. In these games, their record is 5-33-2-2. Moose Jaw has outshot its opponents in eight games; their record is 4-2-2.
Opposition Preview… The Brandon Wheat Kings enter the weekend with a record of 26-16-4-3. They are 6-2-1-1 in their last ten games, 4-0-1-1 in the previous six games, and coming off a 7-4 win in Swift Current on Tuesday. Nolan Flamand leads Brandon with 35 assists and 53 points, Marcus Nguyen has 27 goals and 50 points, and Luke Shipley has 31 assists and 45 points.
2024 – 2025 vs. Brandon… This is the fifth of eight meetings this season between the Warriors and Wheat Kings. Moose Jaw is 2-2 against Brandon, 1-1 at home, and 1-1 on the road. Moose Jaw is 2-for-11 on the power play (18.2%) and has allowed four goals on 13 penalty kills (69.2%).
Lynden Lakovic leads the Warriors with three goals and four points against the Wheat Kings, Connor Schmidt has three goals, Aiden Ziprick has one goal and three points, and Pavel McKenzie and Krzysztof Macias have one goal each. Matthew Hutchison is 1-0 with a 2.77gaa and a .933sv%.
Luke Shipley leads the Wheat Kings with two goals and six points against the Warriors, Marcus Nguyen has two goals and five points, Roger McQueen has four goals, Matteo Michels has one goal and four points, Joby Baumuller and Quinn Mantei have four assists each, Carter Klippenstein has three goals, Nolan Flamand has two goals and three points, Caleb Hadland has a goal and three points, and Nicholas Johnson has three assists. Ethan Eskit is 1-0-0-2 with a 2.84gaa and a .888sv%.
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 329 games on the bench, he has a record of 161-140-16-12. He is third in games coached in franchise history; Tim Hunter is second with 356. His 161 wins rank second on the team’s all-time list.
Remaining Schedule… Including tonight, the Warriors have 16 games remaining in the 2024 – 2025 regular season. They have 9 games at home and 7 on the road. They have 13 against the East Division and three against the Central Division. Here is the division breakdown: Brandon – two home and two road; Prince Albert – 1 home and two road; Regina – one home and one road; Saskatoon – one home; Swift Current – 1 home and two road.
Streaking
- Connor Schmidt has 1-2-3pts in the last six games
- Pavel McKenzie has 2-3-5pts in the last four games
- Ethan Hughes is on a 4-game point streak (2-4-6pts)
- Krzysztof Macias has 2-2-4pts in the last four games
Milestone Watch
- Connor Schmidt is one game away from 100 for his career
- Ethan Semeniuk is three games away from 200 for his career
