The Moose Jaw Warriors will be exceptionally well represented when the USports Cavendish Farms University Cup hockey championship kicks off Lethbridge this weekend.
In fact, some of the names and the teams they’re playing for might be surprising.
A total of eight former Warriors will be among the 83 former Western Hockey League players taking the ice, suiting up for four of the eight teams competing for the national title.
That includes Zach Sawchenko of the University of Alberta Golden Bears, who backstopped his team to the USports championship last season and posted back-to-back shutouts to claim the Canada West title earlier this year.
Canada West all-star defenceman Jesse Forsberg (2013-14) will take the ice in his fifth season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies alongside fourth-year forward Jaimen Yakubowski (2014-15). Forsberg scored six times and had 21 points in 24 games while Yakubowski had five goals and 13 points. Also representing the U of S will be winger Andrew Johnson (2010-13), a fourth year forward who had an assists in 13 games.
The Ottawa-based Carleton University Ravens also have a pair of former Warriors, with defenceman Matthew Sozanski (2016-17) in his second year with the team and forward Dakota Odgers (2016-17) also taking the ice in his sophomore season. Sozanski had three goals and nine points in 25 games for Carleton, while Odgers picked up three goals and five points in 24 contests.
Representing the host Lethbridge Pronghorns will be forward Torrin White (2011-2015) and defenceman Spenser Jensen (2013-15). White – who played 248 games over five seasons with the Tribe – is in his third season with Lethbridge and was their second leading scorer with nine goals and 16 points in 22 games. Jensen suited up for 28 games on the Pronghorns and had a goal and five assists. Defenceman Dallas Valentine (2012-16) will also suit up for the Pronghorns after recording four assists in 27 games.
Action kicks off today as Saskatchewan takes on Guelph and Alberta faces Lethbridge, while Friday games see Carleton facing the University of New Brunswick and Queen’s battling St. Francis Xavier. The semifinals take place Saturday, medal games on Sunday.
