The local squad holds a 15-14-2-1 record heading into their New Year’s Eve game with the Red Deer Rebels on Friday, and after two campaigns where just reaching .500 would have been a huge accomplishment, there’s even a sense of what could have been this time around.
That’s because with just a bit more consistency -- even from period to period -- the Warriors could find themselves well clear of the logjam for second place behind the powerhouse Winnipeg Ice in the East Division.
“We’ve taken some steps, this is kind of where we projected ourselves to be as a young team,” said Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger. “We’re going to have inconsistent nights, but if we’ve had a bad game we’ve been able to bounce back. I think the biggest thing is if we put 60 minutes together on a regular basis we could have a lot more wins than we have right now.”
As their record would indicate, the Warriors have been pretty much even-steven right from the get-go. A four-game losing skid from Oct. 16 to 27 was the toughest stretch of the first half and the Warriors didn’t win or lose more than three in a row after that point. They flirted with getting over .500 throughout December and finally accomplished the feat on Dec. 28 with their 7-4 win over Edmonton at Mosaic Place.
Ryder Korczak leads the team with 13 goals and 39 points in 32 games to sit eighth in WHL scoring, with Jagger Firkus right behind at 18 goals and 36 points over the same span. Brayden Yager is fifth in WHL rookie scoring with 15 goals and 28 points in 28 games, while defenceman Denton Mateychuk sits fourth in league scoring at his position with seven goals and 28 points. He’s projected to go in the first round of the NHL Draft this summer.
The news hasn’t been all good on the skater front, though -- team captain Daemon Hunt suffered a broken hand during Team Canada selection camp and isn’t expected to return until mid-January at the earliest.
In goal, off-season acquisition Carl Tetachuk has been solid, as the overage netminder has played 25 games with a 3.07 goals-against-average and .909 save percentage. Back-up Jackson Unger has seen action in six contests, including his first career shutout in a win over Red Deer on Dec. 3.
Ripplinger has opted to largely stand pat when it comes to making deals, with the single in-season trade bringing Majid Kaddoura from the Prince George Cougars for a seventh-round draft pick back in mid-October.
“This is a young group, and we’ve been patient, we haven’t really made too many moves other than Kaddoura and Tetachuk to balance things out for us a bit,” he said. “But we’re still sticking with our group here and letting them grow together, when you go through a year like this it’s nice not to have a revolving door of players and have a chance to build some chemistry.”
That leads into the Jan. 17 trade deadline, where Ripplinger has no interest in making a trade just for the sake of staying busy.
“I’m not really looking,” he said. “I’m sure some teams might phone and inquire about some players that we have, but it’s something that’s really going to help us in the future and be a really good fit for us. I’m not just giving guys away for picks.”
With the games ahead, one of the Warriors’ main goals will be to simply get on a roll and leave hovering around .500 deep in their rear-view mirror.
“Where we are right now is okay, but at the end of the year, we’re looking for a playoff spot and the more we’re above .500 the better chance we have getting there,” Ripplinger said.
“I don’t think we have any quit in our game, where if we have a bad period, I know we’re going to come out and play better. I think in a seven-game series, we could push those top teams… you look at a few years ago when P.A. took us to seven games, they outplayed us, they really did, and we won on sheer talent. And that shows what can happen if you’re a hard-working team in the playoffs.”
After their bout with Red Deer, the Warriors are back in action Saturday at 4 p.m. in Regina. Their game in Winnipeg on Jan. 3 has been postponed, meaning their next contest after this weekend will be Jan. 7 in Lethbridge. Next home action is Jan. 12 when they host the Calgary Hitmen at Mosaic Place.
