By Matthew Gourlie
Last season it took a heroic four-goal effort for Jayden Halbgewachs to reach the 50-goal mark.
Friday night, Halbgewachs became the first Moose Jaw Warrior to score 50 goals in fewer than 50 games. The 20-year-old scored twice to lead the Warriors to a 5-3 win over the Regina Pats (24-20-4-0) at the Brandt Centre and hit the milestone in his 47th game of the season.
“It’s obviously pretty special doing it here in my hometown,” said Halbgewachs who is from the Regina bedroom community of Emerald Park. “To get 50 goals in as short of time as I did, is obviously pretty crazy. It’s something that no one thinks of doing. It’s way too early for most guys to even think about getting 50, usually it happens in the last two weeks, so to have it happen this early is pretty incredible.”
The Warriors (37-7-1-2) dominated the early exchanges, out-shooting the Pats 11-3 at one point and grabbing a 4-0 first period lead.
“We knew we had to come out flying — which we did. I think that might be the only time this year we scored four goals in the first period. We knew we had to get a quick start on them and we did,” Halbgewachs said.
Halbgewachs played all 72 games and he needed all of them. He entered the third period of the final game of the season sitting at 47 goals. He scored three times in three shifts — 7:13 apart — to hit 50 and cap off a four goal, three assist night.
“The excitement this year wasn’t like it was last year. Going into that last game, you never think you’re going to get 50 goals,” Halbgewachs said. “(Brett) Howden was on me a lot to make it happen and he helped me do it last year. Four goals in that last game is pretty incredible, but so is getting 50 this early in the season.”
? MAKE IT 50! Jayden Halbgewachs (@halbgewachs97) scores his 50th in his 47th game of the season. Warriors lead 5-1. pic.twitter.com/KZQTtfnui3
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) January 20, 2018
Halbgewachs opened the scoring with his 17th power play goal of the season. Like most of them, it came with some great touch from a few feet in front of the net.
“He’s a helluva player and we’re really thrilled to have him,” said Warriors head coach Tim Hunter. “He’s taken his game to another level this year. He’s competing harder and he’s getting inside and getting goals he didn’t get last year. That’s the key to his game and why he scored 50 goals in so few games.”
It is the third straight season that a Warrior has scored 50 goals. Dryden Hunt managed the feat in 2015-16 and that was the first time a Warrior had done it since Curtis Brown in 1994-95.
“It’s harder to score goals nowadays. It’s something I’m pretty proud of,” Halbgewachs said. “Our success as a team has obviously helped lead to that and my linemates are the ones that make this happen. I can’t thank them enough.
“All I’m trying to do is help our team win.”
Halbgewachs got the scoring started before Vince Loschiavo doubled the lead thanks to a good steal by Tristin Langan. Dmitri Zaitsev added a power play goal and Tanner Jeannot finished off a gorgeous passing play with 26.4 seconds left in the frame to cap a dominant 20 minutes.
? Tic-tac-toe and Tanner Jeannot (@Tanner_Jeannot) puts Moose Jaw up 4-0 late in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/wCoEiSUi3C
— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) January 20, 2018
“We just weren’t moving our feet or moving pucks well enough. We had a few too many turnovers and with a team like that over there, they’re going to capitalize on your mistakes. That’s what they’ve been doing all year,” said Pats defenceman Josh Mahura. “I think it showed in the second and third that we can play with these guys — and even out-play them at times. But at the end of the day you can’t have a first period like that against a team like that.”
The Pats came out with renewed energy and got on board with a power play goal from Jesse Gabrielle off of a nice feed from Cameron Hebig.
Halbgewachs got his 50th 3:35 into the third period to restore Moose Jaw’s four-goal lead. Mahura scored twice, but the Pats weren’t able to close the lead further despite out-shooting the Warriors 23-5 in the third period.
“It’s hard when you get up quick and it’s easy and you take your foot off the gas,” Hunter said. “They’re at home and you know they’re going to push and play harder. We took it a little too lightly and played a little too soft. It’s human nature.”
The Pats had stretches of strong hockey, but are still finding their chemistry after adding a number of new faces leading up to the trade deadline. Last year Mahura and Jeff De Wit came over from Red Deer at the deadline and Mahura said it wasn’t a difficult transition joining a settled team. He feels it will take a little longer for the group to gel this year.
“We’re gelling really well as a group in the room. The on-ice stuff is just going to take a little bit still,” Mahura said. “Each game and each practice we’re getting more familiar with each other and we’re building. But it’s going to take a little time.”
Regina was missing assistant captain Jake Leschyshyn.
Warriors defenceman Jett Woo only played a couple of shifts in the first period. Woo reportedly said he wasn’t feeling well during the pre-game warm-ups and sat for most of the game.
Zaitsev left the game favouring his left leg, but returned in the third period.
Both goaltenders made some quality stops to keep their teams in the game at different stages. Brody Willms made 42 saves in the win for the Warriors and Ryan Kubic stopped 32 shots.
