Warriors and Blades Face-Off for Game 5 on Friday
Published on May 3, 2024 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
Saskatoon, SK - The 2024 WHL Eastern Conference Championship, presented by Nutrien, has been a slug match through four games.
After seeing their comeback fall just short in Game 4 on Wednesday, the Moose Jaw Warriros will be looking to push back in Game 5 against the Saskatoon Blades on Friday at SaskTel Centre.
Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary said the team's doing a good job of riding the emotions of the series.
"Keeping things positive, that's not a struggle, with our group," he said. "It's a responsibility of the coaching staff for sure, but the players do a great job of that as well, not just in playoffs, but it's a big part of what we do, we wake up the next day and reflect on the tough times."
The Warriors and Blades have traded wins so far in the series with each side splitting on home ice to sit tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5.
In Game 4, the Blades jumped out to a 3-0 lead just over eight minutes into the game, but Moose Jaw battled back to tie things up at 4-4 after two.
Saskatoon would capture the series-tying win in overtime.
"Playing against a team like that if you don't start well, they're going to capitalize and that's exactly what they did," Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk said.
"We all know that there were mistakes made in that game and we still battled back really hard and that's good to see for the upcoming games."
Throughout the playoffs, the Warriors have only lost three times and responded to each loss with a bounce back win.
Mateychuk said that's the mindset for the Warriors once again heading into Friday.
"There's lots of things to build off [coming out of Game 4], knowing that if we go down a couple, we're always in a position where we can win that hockey game," Mateychuk said.
"It's all about flipping the page and being ready for the next game, doesn't matter what happened last game."
Heading into Game 5, the Warriors will be focused on tightening up in the defensive zone as they look to take the lead in the series once again.
"Hard, boring things, whether it's hockey or it's life, those are the things that can be easy to shy away from, but anything worthwhile is usually a path that's covered in an opportunity to do things hard," O'Leary said.
The Warriors and Blades meet at 7 p.m. on Friday night for Game 5 at SaskTel Centre. Tune into the action on Country 100 and CHL TV, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:40 p.m.
Western Hockey League Stories from May 3, 2024
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- Prospects Draft: Wheat Kings Aim to Strike Gold Again in Familiar Range - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy Announces Hiring of Spencer White as 14U, 15O Assistant Coach - Wenatchee Wild
- Warriors and Blades Face-Off for Game 5 on Friday - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Road to the WHL Draft: 2020 - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Cougars Defeat Winterhawks 6-1 to Force Game 6 at the CN Centre - Prince George Cougars
- Hawks Held in Game 5, Another Chance to Advance on Monday - Portland Winterhawks
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