Firkus Hat-Trick Helps Warriors Win
By Twitter - @MJWarriorsFun Instagram - @moosejawwarriors_history
Maximus Wanner - Fan Art by Wendy Fang. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
On Wednesday evening your Moose Jaw Warriors were hosting the lowly Edmonton Oil Kings.
Edmonton happens to be both the returning WHL Champions and the worst team in the league.
Such things happen when a club’s biggest stars all finish their minor league careers on the same date.
However, there is a catch.
Even though the Warriors have been a far superior team this season, the Oil Kings actually have a win against them.
So it definitely wouldn’t work in the Warriors favour to take them lightly.
They’re still a team chalk full of talented minor hockey players that made it to this level for a reason.
Moose Jaw got into penalty troubles early on.
First it was Ben Riche getting called for High-Sticking.
Then it was Ryder Korczak for Roughing; that was the penalty Edmonton scored on.
It was Loick Daigle putting his Oil Kings in front early.
Moose Jaw battled back and scored twice before the first period was over, giving the home team a 2-1 lead.
The first one was from Logan Dowhaniuk, who won a WHL Championship, last season, with Edmonton.
Dowhaniuk’s second goal as a Warrior came off of a slap shot from just inside the blue line.
Downhaniuk seems to plays his best hockey against his former team, the last time these teams met he was named the First Star of the Game.
Jagger Firkus notched the second one three minutes later on Moose Jaw’s first Power Play.
Firkus scored again at 15:41 of Period 2.
Ben Riche hit him with a great pass, directly in front of the net, and Firkus rifled it home.
Jagger Firkus completed the Hat-Trick in the second period / Fan Art by Wendy Fang on Twitter
Edmonton got one back shortly after, making the score 3-2, but Firkus completed the Hat-Trick early into the third period, with his 28th goal of the season, regaining that comfortable two goal lead.
Brayden Yager made it 5-2 barely a minute later, with his 21st of the year.
Which gives me a chance to show off another piece of Wendy Fang’s art work.
Brayden Yager scored one. Fan Art by Wendy Fang
Only a minute later Edmonton made it a little closer when Gavin Hodnett scored his eighth of the season and gave Edmonton a little hope for a comeback.
Atley Calvert recorded a goal in the 13th minute of the third period.
It’s worth noting that that was Atley Calvert’s 31st goal this season and he is hot on the trail of surpassing David Bararuk’s long-standing record for Goals By a Moose Jaw-born Warrior.
Bararuk scored 33 in 2001-2002, Calvert needs just three more to overtake him.
David Bararuk is fine with it all though, he commented earlier that “He (Atley) will do it…This is great for Atley and Moose Jaw”.
Atley Calvert (left) needs four goals to surpass David Bararuk’s club record for Goals Scored by Moose Jaw-born Warriors
Firkus and Ryder Korczak each had three points in the game while Calvert, Yager, Denton Mateychuk, Matthew Gallant and Ben Riche had multi-point games.
The Three Stars were Firkus, Korczak and Dowhaniuk.
The Warriors will be in Regina, to play Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats, on Saturday February 11.
And just for fun. One more piece of Wendy’s Fan Art. Another Firkus. Paying homage to his future with the Seattle Kraken.
