It was a good night for players with connections to Moose Jaw Minor Hockey in Western Hockey League action between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday night.
Warriors defenceman Max Wanner had two goals and four points, forward Atley Calvert had a goal and two assists and Edmonton forward Jaxsen Wiebe scored twice as Moose Jaw picked 7-2 victory at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
It was a banner night for Wanner -- a former member of the Moose Jaw AAA Warriors -- as he scored the game’s first two goals in the opening period and followed up by picking up assists on the Warriors’ first two goals in the second.
The showing doubled Wanner’s production on the season and gives him four goals and eight points in nine games. A signed Edmonton Oilers prospect, Wanner had six outings with two points last season, making Tuesday’s contest his best showing in the WHL thus far.
Calvert had a pair of assists in the first period and scored his eighth of the season with 4:17 left in the second. The Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product and -- like Wanner -- Prairie Hockey Academy grad now has eight goals and 16 points in 16 games, easily the 19-year-old’s most productive start in a Warriors uniform.
While the result wasn’t what former AAA Generals standout Wiebe was hoping for, it was a solid showing in his old stomping grounds nonetheless. The 20-year-old forward suited up in only his third game of the season but scored both goals for Edmonton -- the first with 2:56 gone in the second period, the second coming with 9:12 gone in the third. Wiebe now has three goals in three games.
Brayden Yager gave Moose Jaw a 3-0 lead with 1:23 to play in the first, and after there was little to report in the opening 10 minutes of the second, the Warriors opened things up.
Denton Mateychuk, Calvert and Jagger Firkus all scored in the final eight minutes of the period to give Moose Jaw a 6-1 edge through two.
Nathan Pilling closed out scoring with a power play goal with 4:26 remaining in the game.
Firkus and Yager each added an assist on the night, with Yager now 14th in WHL scoring with eight goals and 20 points in 16 games; Firkus is 26th with eight goals and 18 points in 14 games.
Jackson Unger picked up his second win of the season in goal thanks to a 25-save performance, Kolby Hay started for Edmonton and made 20 stops in 35:43 before giving way to Ronin Geraghy, who made eight stops the rest of the way.
The Warriors are now 10-6-0-0 on the season and six in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, four points back of the Saskatoon Blades and two points up on the Calgary Hitmen.
Moose Jaw returns to action on Friday, Nov. 11 when they travel to Medicine Hat before hosting the Tigers in the return match on Saturday, Nov. 12. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
