Keith Hershmiller

Warriors defence struggles in sixth-straight loss

 

REGINA – Michael Farren led the way with the game-winner and two assists as the Swift Current Broncos (3-7-1) handed the Moose Jaw Warriors (4-6-1) their sixth-straight defeat with an 8-5 decision Thursday afternoon.

Swift Current had come in losers of three of its last four, while Moose Jaw was smarting from a dramatic 3-2 overtime defeat Tuesday night to arch-rival Regina.

The stated message even before the Hub began from general manager Alan Millar, and head coach Mark O’Leary on down was that development and process would be the most important elements of what the club hoped to get out of it, but to do that an understanding from the players on the drive to win was, and is still considered absolutely necessary.

O’Leary was frustrated in that regard post-game.

“The teaching point (out of today is that our guys need to learn) the difference between panic and urgency,” he said.

“When you lose some games in a row, you don’t want to panic, because when you panic things are out of your control. There certainly needs to be some urgency in terms of getting back to what we expect from our team, and this certainly isn’t what we expect. You can feel that urgency in the room and you can feel it on the bench, and the longer this goes, the longer they seem to grip their sticks a little bit. Part of the job is to find that balance between keeping things calm, and keeping them on the program.”

Moose Jaw came out flying and was rewarded 1:15-in when Jagger Firkus cleaned up the scraps from a miraculous stop in tight by Isaac Poulter on Riley Krane. Firkus, the fine 16-year-old, had been snake-bitten despite performing as one of the Warriors’ best forwards the last four games.

“I think (Jagger) is in a good situation where he is getting an opportunity to play top-6 minutes,” O’Leary said.

“I am seeing a player that wants to be great. He’s coachable, he’s a quick study in terms of playing without the puck, and that gives me the confidence to put him out in different situations, and then his skill level takes over. He (and Brayden Yager) are growing up together here, we can see them making plays together, and I think they enjoy it.”

But those little let-downs of focus have killed the Warriors over the last six games, and despite a bevy of Grade A chances in the first five minutes, Moose Jaw could not extend its lead, and the Broncos punished them for it. Cole Nagy snapped it from wide right in the Warriors’ zone to Aiden Bulych, who in turn whipped the puck in front for Eric Houk who had a tap-in; and 5:49 in, we were tied.

A loose Moose Jaw turnover just inside the offensive blue line led to another quick strike for Swift Current, as Jordan Borysiuk’s one-timer left Mirwald with no chance; and just like that the Broncos had the lead.

The bleeding continued moments later when Caleb Wyrostok neatly tipped home a Devin Aubin point shot, and all of a sudden mid-way through the first period, it was 3-1 Broncos.

Calder Anderson gave the Warriors a much-needed lift from in tight at 15:22, chipping in a rebound off a Brad Ginnell shot to the right of Poulter, and the wild momentum swings of two desperate young clubs going at it continued.

The next punch went to veteran Swift Current defenceman Kaleb Bulych as his long knuckling wrister evaded Mirwald high blocker side with 1:29 remaining in the first period. It was Bulych’s first WHL goal since Feb. 2020, against these same Warriors; a 17-game span.

An early long five-on-three in the second period saw a rocket through a screen off the stick of Daemon Hunt cut the Broncos’ lead to one at the 1:51-mark, and rode that momentum to control of most of the rest of the second period.

The tying goal felt like it was coming, and it did with 6:10 left in the middle stanza. Atley Calvert broke in alone shorthanded and deftly roofed it backhand for his first of the year and second in the WHL.

Then it was Brayden Yager’s turn to dazzle, as on a Moose Jaw power play he danced around two Broncos, and flipped it backdoor to Logan Doust, whose shot pinged off the leg of Ginnell and in at 18:40.

But the madness continued, as an Owen Pickering rocket from the top of the left circle beat Mirwald clean for the 2004-born Broncos’ defenceman’s first career goal; and it was 5-5 after 40 minutes.

It was Swift Current that kept the energy going into the third, and it was another rookie Mathew Ward whose bullet went post and in from the right dot at the 3:14-mark to give the Broncos the edge back.

Odd-man rushes against simply crushed the Warriors on the night.

“I think tonight our it was our defencemen just got a little too excited to get into the offence,” O’Leary said.

“You go against any team, and you give them odd-man rushes, they only need so many looks and it’s going to be in the back of your net. There are different situations where there were too many times where our defence were up against the boards, trying to keep pucks alive so they can go play offence. There is an urgency to help them understand they are defencemen first, and then they support the rush. You can chalk some of that up to inexperience and being young, but another part of it is just stubbornness and willingness to buy-in to the way we want to play.”

The Broncos were the recipient of another odd-man rush with 8:44 left in the third, and Aiden Bulych made no mistake, and his snipe past a helpless Mirwald gave Swift Current its seventh and a two-goal lead.

Veteran Moose Jaw defenceman Nolan Jones tried to get some energy into his shell-shocked teammates with a fight vs. the Broncos’ Josh Davies at 13:13.

O’Leary pulled Mirwald with 2:30 remaining in regulation for the extra-attacker, but the Warriors could not carve out many chances, and Michael Farren’s empty-netter put it away.

It does not get any easier for the Warriors as they will have a quick turnaround, and take on the Saskatoon Blades, the No. 1 team in the Western Hockey League, Friday at 8:00 p.m.