Moose Jaw Express Pedersen Column

Re-printed with permission of the Moose Jaw Express newspaper:

1 – OUT OF THE HANGAR: We have far more positive news to report this week! At press time, the Moose Jaw Warriors are on a three-game win streak which included the opener of their annual west coast road trip on Wednesday. Mathieu Lajoie scored twice – including the winner 0:55 into OT – and The Tribe knocked off the Cougars in Prince George 3-2 to kickoff the trip on a winning note. That comes on the heels of a pair of home victories – 6-3 over Regina and 3-2 over Everett on the weekend – at Temple Gardens Centre as there are signs things are turning around.

2 – THE BAD NEWS: Again, at press time, the Warriors stand at 7-8-0 overall and that’s 11th in the 11-team Eastern Conference. Imagine being a game under .500 but in last place! That’s okay. 10 points separate 11 teams in the East which means there’s been virtually no separation in the standings. That doesn’t usually come till mid-December anyway.

3 – GONE SO LONG: The biggest news in the Dub this week is the fact the Western Hockey league is awarding its 24th franchise to Chilliwack, BC. But wait, there’s so much more! Former P.A. Raider Jeremy Colliton has been named co-owner, Governor, General Manager & Head Coach. WHAT? Also in the ownership group are Mason Raymond, Brett Motherwell, Mario Amantea & Patrick Lathrop. The franchise will begin play in the 2027-28 season.

4 – NEAR, YET SO FAR: WHL Commissioner Dan Near said in a statement “We are excited to welcome the new Chilliwack ownership group to the Western Hockey League and excited about what this means for the future of hockey in the Fraser Valley. Chilliwack is a passionate hockey community and we believe this ownership group brings the vision, commitment, and resources to build something special. We look forward to working together to establish a first-class organization that the community can rally around, and one that delivers an exceptional experience for players, fans, and partners.” The Chilliwack Bruins competed in the WHL from 2005-2011 before moving to Victoria and becoming the Royals. Their coaches were Jim Hiller and Marc Habscheid.

5 – PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Saskatoon Blades forward Kazden Matthies of Martensville, SK (3-3-6, 2 GP) has been named POTW. The Goaltender of the Week is Cal Conway of the Swift Current Broncos. The Andover, MN product went 2-1-0 with a 1.68 GAA and .957 save percentage. The Rookie of the Week is Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Logan Stuart. The Manhattan Beach, CA product went 2-2-4 and +2 last week.

6 – DUB EAST POWER RANKINGS: 1) Red Deer, 2) Brandon, 3) Swift Current, 4) Medicine Hat, 5) Calgary, 6) Edmonton, 7) Regina, 8) Saskatoon, 9) Lethbridge, 10) Moose Jaw, 11) Prince Albert.

7 – SJHL/MJHL: The annual Western All Star Challenge was played in Martensville and the SJ waxed the MJ by scores of 5-2 and 8-6 this week. NHL and College scouts refer to the event as “one stop shopping” as the best players of the two Junior A leagues go head-to-head. Austin Mori-Goodman (Nipawin) and Cooper Perrin (Kindersley) scored the game-winning goals for Saskatchewan.

8 – SJHL POWER RANKINGS: 1) Warman, 2) Melville, 3) Melfort, 4) Flin Flon, 5) Weyburn, 6) Humboldt, 7) Nipawin, 8) Yorkton, 9) Kindersley, 10) Estevan 11) Battlefords, 12) La Ronge.

9 – ON ROUGHRIDERS: The Roughriders CFL season ended in Vancouver with a 33-26 loss to the BC Lions in the Western Semifinal. The story? Kicker Brett Lauther went 6/6 on field goals which is nice, but won’t win you playoff games. Plus, the Saskatchewan defense couldn’t stop Lions QB Nathan “WestJet” Rourke who threw for 366 yards and 3 TDs. After the game, Rider QB Trevor Harris was undecided if he’d return for another season in 2027 at age 41. My guess is he’ll be back, if the Riders want him, which they should. He led the CFL in passing in 2026 and is an all-world human being. You can’t have enough of those, especially at that position.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Sometimes things end because they’ve ended. … Does anyone actually leave a voicemail anymore? … Hear me out: Saskatoon Berry Pop Tars. … Nothing’s been as entertaining in the past week as Western Canadians (besides Saskies) trying to figure out the time change. Hope they go back to the old way!

Y’er welcome,
RP 

(For Moose Jaw sporting tips and scoops, email Rod at pedersenmedia@outlook.com)