MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Warriors might have seen their storybook season come to an end on Friday night at the Memorial Cup, but that did little to dampen the pride they have in all they’ve accomplished this season.
Members of the team spoke one last time with the media at the national major junior hockey tournament in Saginaw after falling 7-1 to the host Spirit in the tournament semifinal, and that was the overwhelming message. Things might not have gone well in the game, but the memories of everything that came before it will be what the players and coaches hold forever.
“Growing up in Moose Jaw as a young kid, you always want to play for your hometown team and it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to wear the Warriors crest and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to do it with,” said Warriors overage forward Atley Calvert, who saw his storied five seasons with the team come to a close.
“This one hurts right now, but if you look back at the year in a couple days we’ll have a different feeling obviously. Growing up with the group and going through pain and struggles, this is tough but I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to do it with.”
Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk is the tournament’s top scorer heading into the championship final, having put up three goals and seven points through the Warriors four games. A special accomplishment indeed, and just another part of a great season top to bottom for the 19-year-old rearguard.
“I’m glad I could contribute and get a win there last game,” Mateychuk said, referring to the Warriors round robin victory over Drummondville. “We battled through it all and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. We played as a group through this whole year and this tournament.”
Like Calvert, Mateychuk couldn’t help but express pride in all the team had accomplished.
“There hasn’t been much said since the loss, but everyone knows we’ve accomplished a lot this year,” he said. “We didn’t get our end goal of bringing home the Memorial Cup, but there’s lots of things to be proud of in this group.”
Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary had expressed pride in his troops throughout the playoffs, and that opinion remained the same even with the season-ending loss.
“That was the message to the group, this doesn’t change one thing that I think about them,” O’Leary said. “We’re sad we didn’t win our last game of the year, you want to finish the year with a win, obviously, but at the same time, when the dust settles here you can be upset not that you lost here tonight, but be upset that you don’t get to do it again with this group.
“I know it’s a tight-knit group, but at the end of the day they’re champions and nothing will ever change that. So I’m extremely proud, it’s the most fun I’ve had in hockey, and it’s a pleasure to come to the rink every day.”
There’s one more order of official business to attend to, with the city holding a championship celebration on Sunday afternoon.
The parade will go down Main Street at 3 p.m., followed by a celebration event at the Moose Jaw Events Centre at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to line Main Street to cheer on the team, and then head over to the MJEC to hear from the team one last time.
