Daily Dose of the Dub: Warriors take the 12th playoff spot; Savoie denied exceptional status; Three set new franchise records

Warriors clinch

The Moose Jaw Warriors (36-19-6-2) are heading back to the WHL Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season with a 3-1 victory over Regina. The Warriors are currently in third place in the East Division, 12 points ahead of Brandon who are in the Wild Card hunt. Last season they won the East Division and made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Final before losing to the eventual WHL champion Swift Current Broncos.

Savoie denied status

Hockey Canada has decided to not give 2004-born forward Matthew Savoie exceptional status the same day they gave it to OHL prospect Shane Wright. You can read more about it here from the DUBNetwork:

https://www.dubnetwork.ca/chl/breaking-savoie-denied-exceptional-status/

Three set new franchise records

https://twitter.com/shawnmullin/status/1104218715996991488?s=20

Prince Albert Raiders goaltender Ian Scott set a new franchise record with his seventh shutout of the season in an 8-0 win over Swift Current. The previous record was held by Rejean Beauchemin (2003/04) and Luke Siemens (2012/13) which Scott needed just 14 saves to earn his seventh. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect owns a 36-7-1-2 record with a 1.86 GAA, and a .932 save percentage to go with the seven shutouts.

Edmonton Oil Kings captain Trey Fix-Wolansky set a new franchise record for assists in a season with his 64th of the season, breaking Dylan Wruck’s record of 63 assists set back in 2012/13 in 68 games with Fix-Wolansky doing it in 61 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick is now up to 99 points (35G, 64A) in 61 games this season and is just six points away from the franchise record for points in a season.

Tri-City Americans goaltender Beck Warm set a new franchise record for saves in a single season with his 1850th save of the season which breaks Eric Comrie’s previous record of 1849 saves set back in 2013/14. Warm now sits at 1860 saves with four games left in the schedule with averages out to about 32 saves a game. The 19-year-old has a record of 32-23-3-0 with a 2.87 GAA, a .918 save percentage and a shutout and has appeared in 105 games with the Americans with a 51-40-4-1 record with a 3.18 GAA, .907 save percentage and two shutouts despite never being drafted in the bantam draft.

Americans prospect debuts

Tri-City Americans 2002-born prospect Sequoia Swan appeared in his first WHL game on Friday in a 3-0 loss to Everett. Swan, a forward, was originally drafted by the Americans in the sixth round (114th overall) in 2017 and has spent this season with the OCN Blizzard of the MJHL where he has 20 points (10G, 10A) in 58 games to go with 191 penalty minutes.

Hurricanes name MVPs

The Lethbridge Hurricanes handed out their season awards prior to Friday’s game, handing out the Harry Ingarfield Memorial Award which is given to the team’s Most Valuable Players. This year’s recipients were Nick Henry and Dylan Cozens. Henry leads the team in scoring with 90 points (27G, 63A) in 66 games split between Regina and Lethbridge, while Cozens, one of the top prospects going into the 2019 NHL Draft, is second in team scoring with 80 points (33G, 47A) in 65 games this season.

Milestones of the Night

Regina Pats forward Austin Pratt skated in his 250th WHL game on Friday, he leads the team in points with 49 points (24G, 25A) in 64 games this season. Originally drafted by Red Deer in the fourth round (75th overall) in 2014, he has 115 points (55G, 60A) in those 250 games split between the Rebels and Pats.

Lethbridge Hurricanes import defenceman Igor Merezhko has reached 100 career points in the WHL. The native of the Ukraine has 11 goals and 89 assists in 252 WHL games all with the Hurricanes.

Everett Silvertips forward Bryce Kindopp appeared in his 200th WHL game on Friday, recording an assist. The 19-year-old has 121 points (69G, 52A) in those 200 games, all with Everett.

The same night he was named co-MVP of the team, Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Nick Henry earned his 200th WHL point with an empty net goal in a 5-2 win over the Tigers. The Colorado Avalanche prospect has 76 goals and 124 assists in 191 games split with Regina and Lethbridge.

Red Deer Rebels defenceman Ethan Sakowich appeared in his 200th WHL game, earning an assist. The Athabasca, AB native has 31 points (7G, 24A) in his WHL career with the Rebels.

Kamloops Blazers forward Zane Franklin played in his 200th WHL game in a 2-1 shootout win over Kelowna. The 19-year-old has 116 points (46G, 70A) in his WHL career split between Lethbridge and Kamloops.

Three Stars of the Night

1st Star: Edmonton’s Trey Fix-Wolansky had two goals, including the game winner, and an assist in a 5-1 win over Calgary.

2nd Star: Everett’s Dustin Wolf stopped 25 shots in a 3-0 win over Tri-City.

3rd Star: Seattle’s Noah Philp had both Thunderbirds’ goals in a 2-1 win over Victoria.

Honourable Mentions

Prince Albert’s Cole Fonstad had a goal and two assists in an 8-0 win over Swift Current….Moose Jaw’s Justin Almeida had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Regina….Lethbridge captain Jordy Bellerive had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win over the Tigers….Red Deer’s Oleg Zaytsev had a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over Brandon….Kelowna’s Roman Basran had 32 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss to Kamloops….Portland’s Joachim Blichfeld had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win over the Cougars….Spokane’s Jake McGrew had two goals in a 4-1 win over Vancouver….