WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Preview: Warriors Host Tigers, Looking to Snap Skid

Published on October 29, 2021 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


After another tough loss against one of the East Division's top teams on Wednesday, the Moose Jaw Warriors are looking forward to squaring off with a team from the Central Division on Friday night.

The Warriors are getting set to host the Medicine Hat Tigers at Mosaic Place in the first game against a Central Division foe in 608 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It'll feel nice to actually see some different sweaters that's for sure," Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary said after practice on Thursday.

Moose Jaw has dropped four straight games after falling 6-2 in Saskatoon on Wednesday. All four losses have come against the Blades and Winnipeg ICE, who have lost one game in regulation between them, which was the Warriors' 7-1 win over Saskatoon on opening night.

O'Leary said Wednesday's loss was one that had the team feeling down.

"It got away from us in the second period, but really start-to-finish, they were the better team and we got what we deserved," he said. "The puck management and 50/50 pucks, we didn't win even close to half and that's not good enough."

Over the past four games, the Warriors' biggest struggle has come on the penalty kill. Moose Jaw sits 21st in the league when down a man at 65.1 per cent.

The Warriors have allowed 11 power play goals in the past four games, which led to the penalty kill being the focus for the team during Thursday's practice.

"Our play five-on-five has bled into the PK a little bit, we're hit and miss in terms of being on our toes, being assertive and being ready to go and we've shown that in our penalty kill," O'Leary said.

Veteran forward Logan Doust said that has been addressed by the team and they're focused on solidifying their penalty kill.

"I think we've fixed a few things," he said. "We've tweaked a few things in practice, we've gone over quite a bit of video, we've watched all the goals we've given up and it's been a focus point for us."

The Tigers come in at 4-4-0-1 this season through nine games.

Doust said the Warriors need to be ready to play to find their way back into the win column.

"Every team in this league is real good, so we got to be ready for everything," he said. "We know what they're all about, so it'll be a real good game.

"The biggest thing is finishing our checks, slowing them down as much as you can."

O'Leary said offence is the strength for Medicine Hat, but the Warriors are focused on doing what they need to do to win.

"They have some pretty skilled forwards and you have to key in on that, but at the end of the day right now, going through a four-game losing streak, it's all about us and our details, our habits and really our standards," he said.

The Warriors and Tigers face-off at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Mosaic Place. Pick up your tickets at mjwarriors.ca or the Mosaic Place Box Office.

All the action will be live on Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:40 p.m.

You can also tune in at watch.chl.ca for IKS Media Warriors Live, which opens with the Mosaic Pre-Game Show at 6:50 p.m.

Check out the Moose Jaw Warriors Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 29, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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