The Moose Jaw Warriors were hoping that the three straight wins last week got the local crew back on track this season; it also attracted all sorts of attention from league onlookers.
The Warriors were ranked fourth overall by the Canadian Hockey League for the first week of regular season when the rankings were unveiled on Tuesday.
Moose Jaw headed into the campaign ranked fifth overall but lost their first two games of the campaign in Prince Albert and at home to Brandon. Things were far different when things resumed after the opening weekend, as the Warriors took a 4-2 win over the Regina Pats on Wednesday, Sept. 27, before getting a measure of revenge with a 5-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, Sept. 29 and capping the week with a 4-3 overtime win in Regina on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The three wins give the Warriors a 3-2 record, good enough for a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference in what is already shaping up as a parity-filled season.
A major part of that success was the return of two key players, with Jagger Firkus arriving from Seattle Kraken camp and a couple days later Brayden Yager from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Firkus wasted little time getting his season off to a great start, putting up seven points in the aforementioned three games. The WHL took notice, and Firkus was named the league’s Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 2.
Firkus opened his campaign in style, putting up a goal and three points in their win in Regina and following up with another goal and three points in his first home game of the season, the win over Brandon. Firkus then capped his week by scoring the Warriors’ opening goal in their second win in Regina in as many visits.
Firkus, 19, is the Kraken’s second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
The Warriors are back in action Friday when they travel to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes before taking on the Tigers in Medicine Hat on Saturday. Next home action is Tuesday, Oct. 10 when they host the Calgary Hitmen. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
