By his own admission, Moose Jaw Warriors forward Atley Calvert didn’t get off to the best of starts this season.
With only seven points in his first 14 games, the 20-year-old Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product had apparently drawn the ire of the hockey gods, as despite creating all sorts of chances, the points just wouldn’t come.
To say that feels like the distant past would be an understatement.
And Tuesday night offered the latest example.
Calvert had a natural hat trick in the first period and capped his night with four points as the Warriors took a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
Since his start, Calvert had only been held off the scoresheet in back-to-back games once and currently finds himself in the midst of an eight-game point streak.
The Prairie Hockey Academy grad now has 33 goals and 62 points on the season, with 55 of those points coming in 35 games since a three-point effort back on Oct. 28 got him back on track.
“It was a pretty slow start for myself at the start there, but at the end of the day you just have to stick with it,” Calvert said of his now-impressive production. “I think it’s a good lesson, whatever you’re doing, stick with the process and eventually it’ll work out again.”
The Warriors now have wins in 14 of their last 16 games and have improved to 31-16-0-2, remaining in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference with the Medicine Hat Tigers and now three-points clear of fourth-place Red Deer.
Calvert got things going at the 7:31 mark, scored his second 1:48 later and finished off the natural hat trick with 3:30 to play in the first. Lynden Lakovic played a major role in the first and third markers, setting Calvert up on both occasions for his two assists on the night.
“Lak made a couple of unreal plays and the puck just happened to hit me on the other one and it went in,” Calvert said in explaining his three goals. “Sometimes it works your way and you get a couple of bounces and it’s nice.”
Blake Fiddler got one back for Edmonton 7:59 into the second, but Jagger Firkus replied 44 seconds later to extend his point streak to 22 games. The Seattle Kraken prospect has now matched his goal total from last year with 40 and needs a single point to match his offensive total of 88 from last season -- in 22 fewer games. His 87 points also continue to lead the Western Hockey League.
Roan Woodward scored late in the second to make it a two-goal game heading into the third, but Edmonton would get no closer.
Martin Rysavy finished off scoring 5:47 into the final period and the Warriors had their comfortable if unspectacular win.
“It wasn’t pretty at times, but those are the games you have to win if you’re a good team, so we just kept at it tonight and came away with the two points,” Calvert said.
Evan May turned aside 29 shots to earn the win, while the Warriors had 29 shots on Kolby Hat.
Moose Jaw is back in action on Friday night when they travel to Red Deer. Next home action is Thursday, Feb. 15 when the Brandon Wheat Kings are in town. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
