Moose Jaw Warriors advance to WHL Eastern Conference Championship
For the first time since 2012, the Moose Jaw Warriors will advance to the WHL Eastern Conference Final.
The Warriors clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference final with a 4-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos in Game 5 of their second-round series.
Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus scored his first hat trick of the postseason to power Moose Jaw to the win on home ice.
Firkus led the Warriors with seven goals in the second round, while Captain and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk had three goals and nine assists to lead all WHL skaters in playoff points.
Mateychuk’s fantastic series was punctuated by a one-goal, five-assist performance in Game 2.
2024 NHL Draft-eligible netminder Jackson Unger stood tall with a 34-save performance, putting up a 4-1-0-0 record, a 3.14 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in the second round.
The Warriors move on to face the formidable regular season champion Saskatoon Blades.
While no team that played Saskatoon more than once in the regular season had a winning record against the Blades, Moose Jaw and Saskatoon tied their regular-season series with three wins apiece.
The Eastern Conference Championship will begin with Game 1 on Friday, April 26 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.