Warriors Clinch Playoff Spot

By Twitter - @MJWarriorsFun Instagram - @moosejawwarriors_history

Celebrate - Larry Poncho Brown

Well, we received some updates about the four Warriors who’ve been serving indefinite suspensions.

They will sit out the remainder of the regular season, for doing whatever it is they’ve done.

Coaches Mark O’Leary and Jason Ripplinger will both serve five game suspensions as well, so they weren’t behind the bench when the tribe played the Swift Current Broncos on Friday night.

Not the greatest news, I’m aware.

However, the Warriors were just one win away from clinching a playoff berth AND the team will be back to its usual self come playoff time, assuming the club allows them back.

So there is definitely a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

M Yatim

It was apparent by the end of the first period, though, that they wouldn’t be clinching in this one easily.

Moose Jaw’s goaltending just wasn’t as strong as it needed to be and the Broncos pelted them three times early; at one point scoring twice in 22 seconds.

Matthew Ward, Drew Englot and Clarke Caswell were the scorers.

The hapless Moose Jaw Warriors had their heads hung as they drifted into the locker room at the first intermission.

After a rocky start, Jackson Unger settled down and played a fantastic game - photo credit Twitter

Period 2, however, was an entirely different story.

All three of those goals they gave up, they got back.

Matthew Gallant, who has been really fantastic lately, making lots of impressive, high-iq plays, scored a gorgeous one, toe-dragging around a defenceman before sniping a goal, glove side.

Matthew Gallant scored a beauty - photo credit Twitter

Josh Hoekstra scored a short-handed one shortly after, scooping up a loose puck, coasting the ice, then beating the goalie.

The goal was Hoekstra’s 8th of the season.

Before the period ended, Atley Calvert tied it up.

Denton Mateychuk did most of the hard work, circling the puck behind the net before shuffling it out front to Calvert’s waiting stick.

Calvert’s goal was his team-leading 36th of the season.

That means he surpasses Brent Gilchrist’s 1984-85 season with the Kelowna Wings and Len Nielsen’s 1984-85 season with the Regina Pats, to put him in sixth place for Most Goals Scored by a Moose Jaw-born Player.

Atley Calvert scored his 36th - photo credit Twitter

Jackson Unger, who had been solid in the second period, continued that way in the third, saving all 26 shots put at him in the two frames, combined.

The problem was that so did Swift Current’s equally impressive goalie Reid Dyck.

The game went to overtime before being settled in a extremely long penalty shoot out.

It took 12 shots each, before Josh Hoekstra scored the winner and the match was finally decided.

Hoekstra scored in the game and the shootout winner - photo credit WHL

Warriors win 4-3 (SO)

Unger saved 10 of 12 penalties and was awarded the game’s first star.

Hoekstra was second star and Reid Dyck third.

With the win, your Moose Jaw Warriors have clinched a spot in the 2023 Postseason.

They’ll be back in Moose Jaw on Saturday night for another date with the Broncos.