The Moose Jaw Warriors might find themselves going through a sudden and unexpected time of turmoil, but as the old saying goes, the show must go on.
That means that while the Western Hockey League continues its ongoing investigation into Standard of Conduct violations by four players, little has changed on the day-to-day front -- players are taking the ice for practice every morning, preparations are coming together for their home game against the Winnipeg Ice on Friday night and it’s generally business as usual.
Simply put, the Warriors are waiting like everyone else as the WHL does its due diligence.
“It’s been pretty quiet, it’s the same place we were a week ago and a day ago,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said shortly after practice Wednesday afternoon. “We haven’t been told anything, we’re just in wait-and-see mode.”
But that’s not to say the indefinite suspensions to goaltender Connor Ungar, defenceman Max Wanner, defenceman Marek Howell and forward Lynden Lakovic aren’t having an effect on the team. Losing your top netminder, an NHL-drafted rearguard and two elite prospects for an indefinite amount of time would be a huge hit to any hockey team, and the Warriors are no exception.
“I think the message to the team is that we’re still a really good team right now and we just have to take it game by game,” O’Leary said. “There are individuals who are going to play more and get more opportunities, and while you can’t always pick and choose your opportunity or when it comes, it’s your job to be ready when it does come. There are players who are going to play a lot more minutes in all three positions and they should be looking forward to that opportunity.”
Forward Owen Berge (Northern Alberta Xtreme U18), defenceman Brady Ness (Edmonton Jr. Oilers U18 AAA) and goaltender Justen Maric (SJHL Battlefords) have been recalled by the team to fill the openings, and will be among a host of players O’Leary will be looking to see step up.
“The first thing you have to do is do your job,” O’Leary said. “It’s a team sport but at the same time, everyone has responsibilities, whether that’s in the game or anything else, so you pick up the loose ends from the guys who are out.
“At the end of the day, though, it’s a shock. You have people talking about your organization, but for the most part, these kids are pretty resilient and I like the mood around the rink today.”
The four players were initially suspended by the team and missed Moose Jaw’s game against Edmonton on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The WHL then announced Saturday, Feb. 11 that the league itself had put an indefinite suspension in place pending an investigation into violations of team rules and the WHL Standard of Conduct.
“It’s tough circumstances, I’m not going to lie about that,” OLeary said. “But at the same time, every day it gets a little bit brighter around here. We’re still excited about the opportunity we have, we’re looking for home-ice advantage in the playoffs and the excitement around the team going into playoffs and aspirations to do well…. We’ll have to wait until we see what the league decides, but right now we can only worry about ourselves.”
That means continuing to do what they can to win games, even with the equivalent of a nasty slate of sudden injuries.
“We’re not going to get any sympathy from anyone else, everyone is going through their stuff,” O’Leary said. “It’s our turn to go through some adversity right now, and we’d rather do it now than in April. We’ll get through this, this too shall pass, and we’ll keep going on.”
