MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Warriors are mere hours away from beginning a series of games they’ve anticipated for months.
Ever since it became apparent that the Saskatoon Blades were going to be one of top teams in the Western Hockey League this season, the Warriors have had a playoff showdown on their minds.
Now, that time has come, as the Warriors and Blades will take the ice in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday night in front of what’s expected to be well over 10,000 fans at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
The Warriors wrapped up their final practices in the lead-up to the series on Thursday morning before making the trip north that afternoon. They’ll overnight in the Bridge City after Game 1 to make things as convenient as possible heading into Game 2 on Saturday night.
Seeing as both teams wrapped up their respective series last weekend, there has been plenty of rest and preparation, and showtime is now on the horizon.
“It’s a lot of fun to still be playing hockey, that’s for sure,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary. “The energy is certainly there and like Saskatoon, the rest is certainly welcome. I think the guys are excited right now, it’s been a great week of practice, but we’re champing at the bit and ready to go.”
Having close to a full week off has been of benefit for the Warriors, who used the time to rest and repair before ramping things up as Game 1 moved closer.
“Any time you can get the rest, you certainly take it,” O’Leary said. “Even if guys aren’t hurt, the bumps and the bruises can add up if you don’t look after them right away. We took advantage of that, but at the same time we’ve been ramping things up here pretty good and making sure we’re crisp on all the details we need to be.”
That time off has the added benefit of getting the team healthy -- a situation that has worked very much in the Warriors' favour.
“We’re good right now health-wise,” O’Leary said. “We’re looking forward to putting our best foot forward with everybody back and it’s a game-to-game thing with lots of bodies around here and guys are ready to jump in as needed. But right now, we’re a healthy group and we’re looking to go on Friday night and start fresh.”
That’s especially important, because this series is expected to be a battle.
Not only do the Warriors have an identical head-to-head record at three wins each, their post-trade-deadline records are also remarkably similar, with the Blades (23-5-0-1) all of three points better than Moose Jaw (22-6-0-1).
“It gets harder with each round and each game, and that’s part of the fun of it,” O’Leary said. “We’re playing the best team in the league and they finished first for a reason. They’re a heck of a team, they check well, they have firepower up front that doesn’t need a lot of opportunities to cash in offensively.
“We’ll bring our best, but we know and expect what we’re up against.”
With the deeper rounds and tougher games comes an equal amount of pressure to perform, but that’s something O’Leary isn’t overly concerned about given how the Warriors have responded every time they’ve faced adversity this postseason.
As an example, a close overtime win in Game 2 against Brandon was followed up by a pair of convincing road wins, and an ugly Game 1 loss against Swift Current in the second round was followed by four straight victories against a team similar in stature to the Blades.
“For this group not being past the second round, I think we saw a bit of those jitters in the early part of the Swift Current series, but now we’re back into the swing of things,” O’Leary said. “We felt what it feels like in playoff hockey, it’s faster and things are more intense and it’s just magnified where everything matters. The guys have done a great job of riding those emotions, and when the time comes and your name is called, be ready. They’ve done a great job of that.”
While the Blades reached the Eastern Conference final last season before being swept by the Winnipeg Ice -- in no small part to the three goals and nine points from current Warriors forward Matthew Savoie -- it’s a new look for the Warriors, who will be making their third conference final appearance in team history and the first since the 2012 WHL Playoffs.
“You look around and there are only four teams playing hockey, it just feels different,” O’Leary said. “The last couple years, you get put out and you’re watching the other teams play and you’re certainly envious of those teams. We’re grateful to be in this position, but the players have earned it, they’ve put in the work to get themselves to this point and they certainly aren’t satisfied with where they’re at.”
Games 3 and 4 are back in Moose Jaw on Tuesday and Wednesday night, with fewer than 200 tickets left for each contest. Be sure to check for updated availability.
And be sure to keep an eye on SportsCage.com in addition to moosejawtoday.com and sasktoday.com for in-depth coverage of the series.
