Warriors Make Trip to Bridge City

The long wait between Moose Jaw Warrior games ends tonight as the tribe heads up to Saskatoon to take on the Blades.

The Warriors haven't played since last Saturday's win over Kelowna and forward Brett Lyon says they've been busy preparing for this weekend.

"We had a great hard work practice Monday, we did a lot of skating and battling drills. The other day we were doing a lot of defensive zone things because we know Saskatoon likes to take the puck to the net and we're just trying our best to defend that and play in their zone."

Moose Jaw and Saskatoon have had two tight games so far this season, both of which were decided by one goal, Lyon says they're expecting another battle.

"They're a good hockey team and against any team in this league you have to have a good battle and compete level. As long as you can outwork the other team you've got a good chance at winning."

"You play the game to win, they have a lot of guys over there who don't like losing and we've got a lot of guys who hate losing. It's just who's going to come out and play the hardest," added Lyon.

The Warriors sit three points up on Saskatoon for top spot in the East Division and Lyon says there's area's in the Blades game that they need to be cautious of.

"They're really good at getting the puck to the net from all areas on the ice. It's mostly being aware and being ready for those pucks being thrown out there, those blind passes just knocking them away."

When the Warriors take on the Blades they'll be without three key players. Quinton Howden's at the World Juniors, Justin Kirsch is still nursing an injury, and Cody Beach is suspended after accumulating his fourth embellishment penalty last weekend.

Lyon says with those guys out of the lineup, he'll be looking to fill any role he has to. "There's going to be a ton of ice out there and a lot of opportunity for people. I'm going to hope to contribute offensively and play my game up and down the ice, keep things simple and try to pitch in."

Tonight is the first of two games this weekend for Moose Jaw, afterwards they'll go their separate ways for the Christmas break. Lyon says the team isn't looking forward to the time off, they're 100% focused on the weekend.

"We're definitely not looking past these two games. Christmas is a great time to relax and spend time with your family, but we're not thinking about that quit yet. We have two games to win and that's our goal right now."

Catch the Warriors and Blades from Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre tonight on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca, coverage begins with the PreGame Show with James Gallo at 6:40pm.

Tomorrow night they close out their pre-Christmas schedule at home against former coach Dave Hunchak and the Kamloops Blazers.

Friday WHL schedule;
Moose Jaw v Saskatoon
Kelowna v Prince Albert
Kamloops v Brandon
Swift Current v Kootenay
Victoria v Lethbridge
Regina v Calgary
Vancouver v Prince George
Seattle v Tri City
Spokane v Everett

WHL Players Named to CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game

10 WHL players were announced to the rosters for the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game in Kelowna.

The event showcases the top 40 players from the CHL who are eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and will be played February 12th.

Listed below is the WHL players selected to take part;
Team Bobby Orr
Derrick Pouliot, Portland ** former AAA Warrior **
Griffin Reinhart, Edmonton
Colton Sissons, Kelowna
Chandler Stephenson, Regina
Lukas Sutter, Saskatoon

Team Don Cherry
Mathew Dumba, Red Deer
Ryan Murray, Everett ** former AAA Warrior **
Damon Severson, Kelowna
Coda Gordon, Swift Current
Dominik Volek, Regina

1 More Sleep Till More Warriors Hockey

The six day layover between Moose Jaw Warrior games continues today as the guys head back Mosaic Place for practice to get ready for a pair of weekend games.

Rookie forward Tanner Eberle says they've been working hard at staying sharp. "We have a full week here and have to be going every day. We know that these four points here are big going into Christmas. We have a couple of road trips coming up so we have to get these two wins."

Moose Jaw's up in Saskatoon tomorrow and then closes out their pre-Christmas schedule Saturday at home against the Kamloops Blazers.

Focusing on Friday's game in the Bridge City, Eberle says this is a game that he's been looking forward too. "I like to go up there and bang the bodies, and try and mix it up with their top guys like (Josh) Nicholls and (Duncan) Siemens."

The Warriors go into the weekend in top spot in the WHL's East Division, two points up on Brandon and three up on Saskatoon.

Moose Jaw and Saskatoon have had some tight games over the last two years which has gone a long way in building their rivalry. Eberle says these division physical games are always exciting.

"I like to hit out there so I use my game against the bigger guys, hopefully against the smaller teams I can use my skill. With a couple of game against bigger teams coming up, I'm going to have the use the body."

With the Christmas break looming, Eberle says the rookies have done a good job adjusting to the busy WHL schedule and will be ready to go for the second half.

"Our young guys aren't all that big, we're just trying to stay fit out there and hopefully no one doesn't pull anything, that's one thing you don't want. We just have to stay fit, we've been working out so it (the hectic schedule) shouldn't be a problem."

The Warriors return from the Christmas break they'll be down three bodies, Quinton Howden is at the World Juniors, and Torrin White and Carter Hansen will take part in the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge.

Although it's going to be hard without those players in the lineup, Eberle says that mean's extra ice time for himself and other players.

"I've been looking forward to the road trips coming up. I know we're missing a whole line, so hopefully I'll get a lot more ice, get on the penalty kill and show off my talent."

Moose Jaw has a pair of games to go thru before the Christmas break, tomorrow night they head up to Saskatoon, Saturday night they're back home to take on Kamloops.

Both games can be heard on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca, coverage begins with the PreGame Show at 6:40pm both nights.

Wednesday WHL Schedule;
Kelowna 3 v 2 Regina, OT
Kamloops 6 v 3 Saskatoon
Victoria 3 v 6 Edmonton
Calgary 5 v 6 Lethbridge, OT
Red Deer 2 v 5 Medicine Hat
Everett 2 v 3 Spokane, OT

MJ Connections On World Juniors

The roster is set, and now it's time to get down to work.

Canada unveiled it's 22 man roster for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships yesterday, and it includes six WHL players.

Moose Jaw's Quinton Howden is one of four returning players who made this year's team, and even though there's a lot of fresh faces, he says they've already started to come together.

"Over the camp you start to get close with guys you've never played with or met before. Everyone's excited, you can see the way the guys are coming together. It's an exciting time and I can't wait to get practices started."

Among the six WHLers' who made the team is Everett's Ryan Murray, who's from White City and is a former AAA Warrior.

Murray had 12 goals and 38 points in 41 games with Moose Jaw in 2008-09, and says it's an honor to pull on the Canada jersey. "The past couple of days we've all been fighting for spots and it's been pretty nerve wracking. It's quit a relief to be on the team finally."

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) we're going to start practicing and getting ready for the tournament and getting back to work, but today we can enjoy it and celebrate a little bit," added Murray.

Murray has played with Canada before at Under 18 tournaments, he was cut from last year's World Junior team, this time around he's hoping to fill a specific role on Canada's defence.

"I want to be a shutout down guy. We have a lot of skilled players out here, I'd be real happy just going out there and playing defensively and making sure I don't get scored on and shutting down the other team's lines."

Other current WHL players who made the roster are Mark Stone (Brandon), Brendan Gallagher (Vancouver), and Mark Pysyk (Edmonton). Brett Connolly is a former Prince George Cougar who was loaned to Canada by the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

Canada get's back to work today with their first practice as a team, they'll get themselves ready for their first exhibition game which is Monday against Finland. On the 22nd they'll play Switzerland, they close out their pre-competition schedule on the 23rd against Sweden.

Canada's opens the World Junior Hockey Championships on Boxing Day against Finland, catch all the action on Country 100, as we'll broadcast all of Canada's games in their journey back to capturing the gold medal.

Howden Makes Team Canada

Moose Jaw Warrior Quinton Howden will get another chance to live his dream of singing our national anthem at the World Juniors.

Despite suffering what was called "concussion like symptoms" in an intrasquad game Monday, Howden was one of several WHL players to crack Canada's final roster for this year's World Junior Hockey Championships.

Howden is one of four returning players from last year's team that took home silver after a crushing loss to Russia in the gold medal game.

Two other players have tight connections to southern Saskatchewan. Defenceman Ryan Murray who plays for the Everett Silvertips is a former AAA Warrior, and Wilcox's Jaden Schwartz also made the team. This is Murray's first time at the tournament, while Schwartz is making his second trip.

Other WHL players to make team Canada are Edmonton's Mark Pysyk, Vancouver's Brendan Gallagher, and Brandon's Mark Stone. Former Prince George Cougar Brett Connolly, who's on loan from the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, also made the team.

WHL players who were cut are Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat), Alex Petrovic (Red Deer), Brett Bulmer (Kelowna), Joe Morrow (Portland), Ty Rattie (Portland), and Brad Ross (Portland).

The team will be officially introduced to the nation later today, they'll now get ready for three exhibition games, the first coming on the 19th against Finland.

Canada and Finland will battle again on Boxing Day in the tournament opener. Follow Howden and team Canada throughout the World Junior Hockey Championships on Country 100, as we'll broadcast their games as they climb back to the top of the World Junior mountain.

Listed below is team Canada's roster, along with their current teams.

Goalies
Mark Visentin, Niagara (OHL) ** returning player **
Scott Wedgewood, Plymouth (OHL)

Defence
Nathan Beaulieu, Saint John (QMJHL)
Brandon Gormley, Moncton (QMJHL)
Dougie Hamilton, Niagra (OHL)
Scott Harrington, London (OHL)
Ryan Murray, Everett (WHL)
Jamie Oleksiak, Saginaw (OHL)
Mark Pysyk, Edmonton (WHL)

Forwards
Michael Bournival, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
Brett Connolly, Tampa Bay (NHL) ** returning player **
Brendan Gallagher, Vancouver (WHL)
Freddie Hamilton, Niagara (OHL)
Quinton Howden, Moose Jaw (WHL) ** returning player **
Jonathan Huberdeau, Saint John (QMJHL)
Boone Jenner, Oshawa (OHL)
Tanner Pearson, Barrie (OHL)
Mark Scheifele, Barrie (OHL)
Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College (WCHA) ** returning player **
Devante Smith-Pelly, Anaheim (NHL)
Mark Stone, Brandon (WHL)
Ryan Strome, Niagara (OHL)

Wait For Warrior Action Continues

As the layover between Moose Jaw Warrior games continues, the guys have been busy at Mosaic Place getting ready for the days ahead.

The tribe had some fun on the ice Tuesday with an intrasquad game, Dylan McIlrath says the old vets scored late to pull off the win.

"We came out to an early lead then the youngsters had the energy in the end. We got it back in the shootout with a couple of our skilled defencemen making the moves."

After having some fun yesterday, McIlrath says they'll put the smiles away today and get back to work as the prepare for the weekend.

"We have to put the work in, we've had a long week off. We did our lines Monday, but hockey is about fun and it just shows that we can do that and now get ready for the weekend."

Moose Jaw has points in four out of their last five games and are coming off of a 4-1 win over Kelowna last Saturday. McIlrath says the win was great for the team, and was good for himself as he was strong along the blueline and had a great tilt with the Rocket's Mitchell Chapman.

"It's been an up and down season so far with injuries, but that's the game I need to play to help the team be successful. That's the role I'll keep playing moving forward."

The Warriors go into their final games before the Christmas break in top spot in the WHL's East Division, two points up on Brandon and three up on Saskatoon.

Their weekend starts Friday night on the road with a battle against the Blades, McIlrath says they're not looking towards the break as they realize the importance of picking up points on the weekend.

"These points are so crucial in division games, they're (Blades) are right on our tails. It's the first time I've been in first place in a while, so I'd like to stay there for a while."

Catch the Warriors and Blades from Credit Union Centre Friday night on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca, coverage begins with the PreGame Show at 6:45pm.

Moose Jaw closes out their pre-Christmas schedule Saturday night with their only meeting of the season against former coach Dave Hunchak and the Kamloops Blazers.

Tuesday WHL scores;
Kelowna 3 v 5 Brandon
Kamloops 2 v 5 Prince Albert
Red Deer 4 v 2 Kootenay
Vancouver 0 v 3 Seattle

Wednesday WHL schedule;
Kelowna v Regina
Kamloops v Saskatoon
Victoria v Edmonton
Calgary v Lethbridge
Red Deer v Medicine Hat
Everett v Spokane

Howden Listed As "Day to Day"

Moose Jaw Warrior Quinton Howden is being treated for concussion like symptoms after being hit into the boards by Brett Connolly during Monday's intrasquad game at Canada's World Junior Selection camp in Calgary.

Howden is said to be feeling a lot better, and is as listed day to day.

Canada closed out it's camp with a 7-4 win over a CIS All-Star team last night. Portland's Brad Ross had two assists, former Warrior Dylan Hood was pointless for the All-Stars.

The World Junior hopefuls are now anxiously waiting to see whether or not their efforts over the last couple of days has paid off. Canada will make it's final cuts and then announce their roster this morning.

Yesterday seven players let go, five of them from the WHL. Matt Dumba (Red Deer), Brenden Kichton (Spokane), Max Reinhart (Kootenay), Michael Ferland (Brandon), and Mark McNeill (Prince Albert) were sent back to their junior clubs.

Canada will play it's first pre-competition game on the 19th, they open the World Junior Hockey Championships Boxing Day against Finland.

Follow Canada's journey back to the gold medal on Country 100, all games will be broadcast throughout southern Saskatchewan, and online at DiscoverMooseJaw.com.

Howden Suffers Injury At World Jr Camp

A hit on Moose Jaw Warrior Quinton Howden at Canada's World Junior Selection Camp last night in Calgary has everyone talking.

The incident happened in the second period of Canada's second intrasquad game of the camp. Howden was along the boards with the puck between his feet, Brett Connolly hit Howden in the chest and knocked him into the boards, Howden then struggled to get off the ice on his own.

"I thought Connolly was finishing his check, it might have been a little bit late," said Canada Head Coach Don Hay. "We asked him to play a little more physical tonight and he did that."

"Well it's a tough play, just trying to finish my check and he's kind of in a vulnerable position," said Connolly, who's on loan to Canada from the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.

"If I were to go back maybe would have held up a little bit. I'm just trying to be intense and finish my check's, and obviously feel bad now. Hopefully he's not hurt to bad, but definitely could have held up a little bit," added Connolly.

"His upper body injury will be re-evaluated tomorrow (Tuesday), he's going to be looked at and see how he's doing," said Hay on the status of Howden.

Coming into today, Hay says that there's obvious concern about the Moose Jaw Warrior going forward. "You're always worried about it, especially a guy that played last year and has experience. We hope everything will be OK."

Team Red beat team White 2-0 in the intrasquad game, Brandon Wheat King Mark Stone scored the game winner five minutes into the third period.

Hockey Canada is expected to announce it's first round of cuts today, the remaining players will take on a group of CIS All Stars tonight, the final roster announcement will be made tomorrow.

Canada's first pre-competition game is December 19th, they open the World Junior Hockey Championships Boxing Day against Finland.

Country 100 is once again the home of Canada in southern Saskatchewan, catch all of their games on the radio as they battle back to the top of the World Junior mountain.

Story Behind the Mask

Since coming to Moose Jaw via the Everett Silvertips, Luke Siemens has stood out, not only for his stellar play on the ice, but with his green and white pads and helmet from his days in the Western Conference.

Well not any more, Siemens debuted new white and sliver pads last month and at the end of the month in Prince Albert showed off his new mask.

Siemens helped design the helmet and said he wanted it to be similar to the one Tim Thomas sported on the Boston Bruins run to the Stanley Cup last season.

“No colour in it, but black, white and silver,” described Siemens. “I like that idea of going no colour and thought it would go well with my pads. I got a little crest onWarriors-Siemens-Mask4 the top for (the Snowbirds Air Demonstration Team) and then the Warriors logo and some planes on the side and the name on the chin is Iceman, from Top Gun, everyone knows Ice Man.

“I was just looking around for neat things to do in Moose Jaw. Lots of goalies just get team logos and keep it pretty simple, but I wanted to look for something special and being a big Air Force base here, I thought it would be a good idea to dedicate something to them.”

Siemens says he had hoped to have the helmet ready in time for the Remembrance Game against the Regina Pats, when a lot of the service members would be in attendance, but hoped they could come out to a game and see the tribute now that it's finished.

The Warriors netminder added a more personal tribute to the back of the helmet, “Got some things for my dad on the back, his initials and a quote, and a little dedicated thing to my goalie coach back home Jordan Sigalet, who has MS.”

Siemens says he hopes the addition of the Sigalet’s logo will help to raise awareness and lead to possibly raising funds later in the season.

The 19-year-old from Delta, BC has been a steady force for the Warriors since being traded from the Silvertips on October 6th, going 17-6-3-1 with two shutouts. He sits fifth in goals-against-average at 2.49 and seventh in save percentage at .913.

Siemens did suffered his first loss in the new mask on Friday though, when the Regina Pats came back for a 3-2 overtime win.

The Warriors play their final two games before the Christmas break starting on Friday in Saskatoon. The tribe returns home to face off with the BC Division leading Kamloops Blazers on Saturday.

Recapping The Warriors Weekend

By capturing three out of four points on the weekend, the Moose Jaw Warriors start the week still in first place in the WHL East Division.

The tribe couldn't hold onto a two goal third period lead on Friday and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Regina Pats, they were able to rebound with a 4-1 win over Kelowna Saturday.

Assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber says they were happy with the way they came out Saturday after suffering a tough loss the night before.

"We played a pretty simple 60 minutes of hockey, we did things the right way. We kept things out of the middle of the ice, and we generated plenty of offense off little plays like chips, and defensively we did a good job of keeping them to the outside."

Special teams played a huge impact in Saturday game, as the Warriors were able to score all four of their goals on the power play. Andrew Johnson had one of the goals and says everything was clicking the way it's supposed too.

"We were keeping it simple. We were finishing our routes simple on the power play and most importantly we were outworking them. The power play's not going to success if you're not outworking them and that's what we did."

Shane McColgan scored a nice shorthanded goals for the Rockets, and says throughout the game they had a tough time handling the size of the Warriors.

"They have some big bodies, I think they were hitting us pretty well and closing us off the wall and not giving us much time in the neutral zone to make plays. They trapped us pretty well, they're just a good solid two way team."

Johnson says in the win Saturday they stuck to their game plan, which included the strong physical game that McColgan referred to. "That's part of our identity. When team's come in here we want to make it as hard as we can, we stuck to it and it paid off."

Moose Jaw's record is 20-9-3-1, and they sit three points up on the Saskatoon Blades for top spot in the division. The tribe will practice throughout the week as they prepare for Friday's game against the Blades in the Bridge City.

The two division rivals have had some great games throughout the year, and Weisgerber says they're expecting another hard fought game on the weekend.

"It's actually been pretty exciting playing those guys this year, and last year when I was around. It's always a great hockey game and the atmosphere is always good," said Weisgerber. "I can't see anything being different on Friday, those games that we play those teams we want to go out and make a statement."

The tribe also has a four point edge on Brandon in the division, they trail the Edmonton Oil Kings by one point for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sunday WHL scores...
Brandon 3 v 4 Calgary
Kamloops 4 v 8 Regina
Prince Albert 5 v 0 Red Deer
Portland 0 v 3 Tri City

Canada Opens World Jr Camp

Quinton Howden and team Red fell 3-2 to team White in the first intrasquad game at Canada's World Junior Selection Camp in Calgary Sunday night.

Brandon Wheat King Michael Ferland scored a third period goal for team White, while Kelowna's Brett Bulmer and Prince Albert's Mark McNeill had an assist each in the win.

Coaches are giving players this morning off to rest up for another intrasquad game. The first round of cuts are expected after the game.

Tuesday the guys will take on a group of area CIS All Stars, the final roster announcement is expected Wednesday morning.

Canada plays their first pre-competition game on the 19th, they open the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships Boxing Day against Finland.

Country 100 is the home of the World Juniors in southern Saskatchewan, catch all of Canada's game's throughout the tournament as they look to capture gold and snap their streak of two silver medals.

Warriors Open Weekend v Pats

Points in six out of their last seven games has put the Moose Jaw Warriors on top of the East Division standings going into the weekend.

Their latest win was a thrilling last second 6-5 decision over Red Deer Tuesday, forward Andrew Johnson had three assists that night and says that game was exciting for the fans, but it exposed some issues that they needed to address.

"By both teams I think it was a pretty sloppy game. We had a lot of work to do this week and practice and hopefully cleaned it up, and I think this weekend will be a lot better."

Moose Jaw's winning ways as of late vaulted them up the division and conference standings, and Johnson says some of the success can be attributed to the character in the locker room.

"Overcoming adversity is huge too, and we've done quit a bit of that in the last month or so, I'm 100% sure that the guys can keep this rolling."

The second year Warrior out of Saskatoon has been on a tear as of late, racking up six goals and 17 points in the Warriors last 13 games. Despite playing so well as of late, he says he's still looking to be better.

"It's definitely a big confidence booster (for me), and I thank the coaches for that," said Johnson. "(Quinton) Howden is making this a lot easier in the transition (to playing bigger minutes), he's easy to talk to and helped me along the way. It's nice to have a guy like that especially with his experience."

The Warriors weekend home stand starts tonight against the Regina Pats, the sophomore forward says there's ways that the forwards can help out the defence as they try to contain Regina leading scorer Jordan Weal.

"I think we just have to play in their zone, if we have the puck it means that he doesn't, puck possession is going to be a huge thing especially against a guy like him. Just don't allow him to get the puck, and if he does finish the checks and play hard against him."

For Johnson, he says that he'll have to play within his skills and get away away from the team's game plan if they want to come away with the win.

"I'm not the biggest guy out there but I have to know what I can and can't do, I just have to chip pucks by them," he said. "I think I have to use my speed, get on them quick and force them to make turnovers, don't give them a lot of time to make decisions coming out of their zone. I think if me and the rest of the boys do that then we'll have success."

Catch the Warriors and Regina Pats on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca starting with the PreGame Show with James Gallo, Derek Kletzel, and Marc Smith.

Coming up on Saturday the Warriors close out their weekend with their only meeting of the season against the Kelowna Rockets, coverage starts with the PreGame Show at 6:40pm.

Two things to keep in mind when heading to the rink tonight....

1. It's Teddy Bear Toss Night... fans are encouraged to bring a plush toy to the game, when the Warriors score you throw them on the ice where they'll be collected and then given to the Salvation Army for children in Moose Jaw and surrounding area.

2. Scotiabank's "Celebration of Hockey" makes a stop at Mosaic Place, and the honoured guest is the Stanley Cup. Canada's most iconic trophy will be on display from 5:30pm to 9am.

Thursday WHL scores;
Brandon 3 v 7 Edmonton... this was the Oil Kings 8th straight win, it moves them two points up on Moose Jaw for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Friday WHL schedule;
Regina v Moose Jaw
Kelowna v Swift Current
Prince Albert v Calgary
Medicine Hat v Kootenay
Brandon v Red Deer
Portland v Vancouver
Lethbridge v Victoria
Spokane v Everett
Prince George v Seattle

Howden Ready for World Jr Camp

Tonight could be the final game for Moose Jaw Warriors Quinton Howden for who knows how long.

Howden leaves Saturday for Calgary, and will join 40 other players on the ice at Hockey Canada's World Junior Selection Camp.

"I have the experience for last year and it's kind of a revenge year, Canada wants the gold back. I'm excited to get to camp and prove that I deserve a spot and again and go for gold."

Howden is one of three returning players from last year's team who will be looking erase the memories of last year's third period melt down to Russia in the championship game.

"Obviously it was heartbreaking last year from what they did to us," said Howden. "It's exciting, it's a new year, only three returnees so it'll be a whole new team. It'll be exciting and something I can't wait to come, I'm excited for Christmas time to roll around."

The Oakbank, Manitoba product cracked the roster last year as an 18 year old, and this time around he feels being a veteran and a versatile player will help his chances.

"I can play any position. I can play a physical checking role if need be, or I can play an offensive role," Howden said. "Whatever they need out of me, whatever I have to do, I want to win gold and that's my goal."

The four year Warrior worked his way up Canada's depth chart last year at the tournament, and this time around he says he wants to work towards playing a bigger role if he makes the team.

"As a kid you lay in bed dreaming of those big goals and assists. You can go back and ask any alumni, you'll do whatever it takes. For me, I want to prove that I deserve to be there again. If I get the chance to make the team I don't care where they put me, I'll play as hard as I can and do whatever I can to help the team be successful."

In total the WHL is sending 16 players to the selection camp this week, notable among them include former AAA Warrior Ryan Murray, Brandon's Mark Stone and Michael Ferland, and Prince Albert's Mark McNeill. Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay is the teams Head Coach, he lead Canada to a gold medal back in 1995 when the tournament was held in Alberta.

Players will arrive in Calgary Saturday and skate later in the day. Sunday and Monday they'll practice in the morning and then have an intrasquad game at night, on Tuesday they'll take on a team of CIS All Stars from the area.

Hockey Canada is expected to announce their roster the morning of the 14th. Pre competition games start for Canada on the 19th, they'll open the tournament Boxing Day against Finland.

Country 100 is once again the home of the World Junior Hockey Championships in southern Saskatchewan. Catch all of Canada's games as they look to return to the top of the World Junior mountain and end their streak of two straight silvers.

Camp starts tomorrow in Calgary, the roster announcement is expected on the 14th.

Country 100's coverage of the World Junior Hockey Championships starts Boxing Day when Canada takes on Finland.

Country 100's World Junior broadcast schedule, all times local;
Monday December 26th - 2:00 p.m. vs. Finland
* Wednesday December 28th - 6:30 p.m. vs. Czech Republic
Thursday December 29th - 6:30 p.m. vs. Denmark
Saturday December 31st - 6:30 p.m. vs. USA
** Quarter Finals - Monday January 2nd - 7:30 p.m.
*** Semi-Finals - Tuesday January 3rd - 3:30 p.m. AND 7:30 p.m.
Bronze Medal Game - Thursday January 5th - 23:00 p.m.
Gold Medal Game - Thursday January 5th - 6:30 p.m.

* December 28th game will not be heard due to a conflict with a Warrior broadcast

** Quarter finals will not be broadcast unless Canada is playing

*** If Canada makes the semi final's, they will be the late game

Hay Looking Forward To World Jr Camp

World Junior hopeful's are on their way to Calgary in the coming days for Canada's selection camp which starts on the weekend.

We had a chance last week to sit down with Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay, who is the man in charge on Canada's bench this year

"I want to be a team that's good at both end's of the rink on both sides of the puck. I'm looking for guys with hockey sense because it's a quick tournament, you don't have time to be patient with players and to do a lot of teaching, you need them to pick up different concepts as quick as possible."

"There's an old saying with team Canada, we don't pick the best 22 players, we pick the 22 players that our going to make the best team," said Hay. "That's our goal, to try and find players that can fill certain holes within the lineup and then use them to best of their ability and the best of our ability."

Hay is a three time Memorial Cup championship coach, he guided Canada to a 7-0 record and a gold medal at the 1995 World Juniors, and says this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the players.

"They all have been watching it since they've grown up. They've all grown up with the tradition of Hockey Canada and team Canada playing at Christmas time," said Hay.

"It's been a big dream of their's and all Canadian kids to play in that group of 22 players and stand on that blueline and sing the anthem. That's a pretty breathtaking experience when you get the opportunity to do it."

Hockey Canada extended 41 invitations to players from across the country last week, among them is Moose Jaw Warrior Quinton Howden.

Howden is one of three returning players from last year's team that suffered a heartbreaking loss to Russia in the gold medal game. Hay says Howden has the tools to play a big role on this year's team.

"With his confidence and with his style, his a big man that can skate. There's all kind of things I like about Quinton, the test is to be able to do that, whether he's a top two line player or bottom two line player."

"He's got to be able to fit into the role we want. His skating ability, his confidence, and his experience is really going to help him," added Hay on Howden.

Players will report to camp on Saturday and then practice later in the evening. They'll have intrasquad games on the 11th and 12th, on the 13th they'll play a team featuring area CIS All Stars, the roster announcement is expected on the morning of the 14th.

Canada opens the World Junior Hockey Championships in Alberta on Boxing Day, Country 100 will once again be your source for the tournament as we'll broadcast all of Canada's game on their journey back to the gold medal.

Warriors Win Wild Game v. Rebels

Quinton Howden was the hero for the Moose Jaw Warriors Tuesday night, scoring the game tying and game winning goal in the third period to lift the tribe to an exciting 6-5 win over Red Deer at Mosaic Place.

The tribe opened the game strong, goals from Travis Brown and Carter Hansen put them into the lead going into the first intermission.

Red Deer made strong adjustments to open the second and took the fight to the Warriors. Joel Hamilton scored a shorthanded breakaway goal at 4:34 to put the visitors on the board, less than three minutes later Marc McCoy tied the game with his third of the year.

The Rebels took the lead with less than nine minutes to go in the second on a goal from Justin Weller, but the Warriors were quick to respond as Dallas Ehrhardt found the back of the net for his second of the year.

Tied at three to open the third, highly touted NHL prospect Mathew Dumba put Red Deer back in the drivers seat at 5:46. Moose Jaw battled back to tie the game on a wrist shot from the blueline from captain Kendall McFaull.

The see saw game continued four minutes later when Tyson Ness put the Rebels back in the lead, but Howden ripped his 13th of the year 22 seconds later to the game at five. The Warriors came hard in the final minute and with 4.8 seconds left Howden scored his second of the game to hand the Warriors the win.

Howden says it was a wild and crazy night out on the ice. "It's a weird game, bounces are going your way sometimes and aren't going your way sometimes."

"Obviously it's a game the fans love with a lot of goals, but there's a lot of stuff we need to clean up to get ready for Friday," added Howden.

The Warriors had a strong first period, but Red Deer took control of the game in the second. Heading into the third, Howden says the leaders stepped up to rally the troops.

"We were doing good in the first period then slipped away in the second, we needed to get back to our game and basically just play simple. Obviously our leadership group will lead the way and we tried to do that the best we could."

Howden had two goals on the night; Andrew Johnson had three assists; Ehrhardt and McFaull finished with a goal and two points each; Sam Fioretti and Tanner Eberle had two assists each.

Last night was the first time that Rebels rookie and former AAA General Cory Millette played in front of family and friends. Millette had two assists in the loss, and says it was nice to be back in Moose Jaw.

"Playing in front of my old team was pretty exciting. Some friends, my billets, some old friends, my family made the trip in, it was good to see."

The win improves the Warriors record to 19-9-2-1 and gives them sole possession of first place in the WHL East Division, two points up on Saskatoon and three points ahead of Brandon. They also pull into a tie with Edmonton and Kootenay for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The guys will take today off and then get back on the ice Thursday to prepare for weekend home games against Regina Friday and Kelowna Saturday.

Tuesday WHL scores;
Red Deer 5 v 6 Moose Jaw
Regina 3 v 6 Prince Albert
Calgary 2 v 6 Edmonton
Portland 5 v 3 Prince George
Tri City 6 v 2 Victoria

Wednesday WHL schedule;
Red Deer v Swift Current
Everett v Kamloops
Portland v Prince George
Lethbridge v Kelowna
Tri City v Victoria

Warriors Ready For Rebels

After suffering a disappointing loss in Prince Albert Sunday, the Moose Jaw Warrior are back in front of their hometown fans tonight for their second meeting of the season against the Red Deer Rebels.

In the 3-1 loss to the Raiders the Warriors gave up 49 shots, and Captain Kendall McFaull says that's something that can't happen. "Leaders have to leave by example and the young guys have to follow. We didn't do that, we strayed from our game plan and there's no way we should be giving up that many shots against."

The tribe starts the week tied with Saskatoon for top spot in the East Division, and with the Blades off tonight, the Warriors will use the one game they have in hand to try and take sole possession of first.

McFaull says it's important for the team to come out and erase the memories of their last game. "I have great confidence in the guys that we're going to come out hard. We have to find consistency in our game and play hard Warrior hockey all the time."

The tribe has points in six out of their last eight games, the Rebels on the other hand are winless in their last nine (0-7-0-2). Even though Red Deer has struggled as of late, McFaull says they will not be taking them lightly.

"They always have a good team and we haven't had the best success against them over the last two years. They come hard all the time, they finish their checks, we've had some good games with them."

Kendall McFaull says they need to have a focus on the little details that can add up to big success. "We've had success lot's when we're chipping pucks and getting pucks deep and getting them on net. We have to limit turnovers because that's what's been hurting us."

Moose Jaw's special teams will also be looking for a rebound performance, they were 1-for-7 on the power play Sunday and their penalty kill gave up three to the Raiders.

"Special teams can win or lose you games and that's what happened two night ago," said McFaull. "Our power play hasn't been great but our penalty kill hasn't stepped it up either. When you're power play is struggling your penalty kill has to be going, so we need to be a lot better."

Catch all the action between the Warriors and Red Deer Rebels on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca, coverage begins from Mosaic Place with the PreGame Show with James Gallo, Derek Kletzel, and Marc Smith at 6:40pm.

Tuesday WHL schedule;
Red Deer v Moose Jaw
Regina v Prince Albert
Calgary v Edmonton
Portland v Prince George
Tri City v Victoria

Changes On The Way For NHL

Dramatic changes are on the way for the NHL, officials approved a realignment plan Monday that will see four conferences instead of six divisions and guarantee more home and home series.

The new plan puts more teams in the same time zone, and will see Eastern Conferences teams go West more, while cut down on travel for some Western Conference teams.

Realignment was necessary after the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in the summer, and will be implemented next season.

The playoff format will also undergo changes, and will be similar to the divisional format last played in 1992-93. The top four teams in each conference will make the post season, the first seed plays the fourth and second takes on third. From there, the four conference champions will meet in the third round and then the final two square off in the Stanley Cup final.

Listed below is the "new conferences";
Conference A
Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver

Conference B
Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg

Conference C
Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto

Conference D
Carolina, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington

Raiders Sink Warriors 3-1

The Moose Jaw Warriors didn't have their "A" game while Prince Albert was sharp Sunday night, handing the tribe a 3-1 loss up at the Art Hauser Centre.

Prince Albert peppered Warrior rookie goalie Spencer Tremblay for 19 shots in the first period, but Tremblay was solid, keeping it a scoreless game going into the second.

The Warriors landed into some penalty problems in the middle frame and the Raiders jumped on them, Josh Morrissey and Michal Hlinka scored power play goals less than a minute apart to put Prince Albert up by a pair after two periods.

The Warriors had a better third, shooting Prince Albert 12-7, but Eric Williams turned them away early holding the tribe scoreless. The Raiders scored another power play goal to go up by three, Kenton Miller scored for Moose Jaw to break up the shutout bid.

Warriors Assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe says they weren't able to get rolling, largely due to how well the Raiders played. "They came out hard and played aggressive, worked the pucks deep, were physical and did all the little things right."

Rookie Spencer Tremblay made 45 saves, Vandenberghe says he was Moose Jaw's best player. "He had to make close to 50 saves and that's not a good night, hat's off, he should up to play and kept us in the game. In the first period he made some big saves, Spencer deserves to be a star of the game."

Tremblay was named the third star and says after playing well the loss is a tough pill to swallow. "I played good but I'd rather get the win." The performance was a confidence booster for the rookie. "It really helps after coming off that game in Brandon where I didn't play as well as I should have, this picks me up off the ground."

Moose Jaw was 1-for-7 on the power play, while the penalty kill gave up three goals on seven Raider man advantages. "Our special teams were junk tonight," said assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe. "We didn't play well on the penalty kill, we didn't play well on the power play. We didn't really put the effort in that was needed to win tonight."

The tribe returns to Mosaic Place later today for practice and will get ready for Tuesday's clash with the Red Deer Rebels. Vandenberghe says that after such a rough outing Sunday, the guys will need to respond better Tuesday.

"To put an effort out like this after a big game Saturday night, it's disappointing, and now we have to get ready. Red Deer is always a god game for us, we have to make sure we come to the rink focused on what we have to do. We have to come with energy and come to win hockey games."

Tuesday's game will be the second meeting of the season between the Warriors and Rebels, and their first at Mosaic Place. Looking towards the weekend, Moose Jaw has home games against Regina Friday and Kelowna Saturday.

Sunday WHL scores...
Moose Jaw 1 v 3 Prince Albert
Medicine Hat 2 v 1 Calgary
Regina 2 v 0 Brandon
Saskatoon 3 v 8 Edmonton
Spokane 0 v 1 Lethbridge
Kootenay 1 v 2 Swift Current

Quiznos Quick Pick Contest

We're looking for your "Quiznos Quick Pick"

Here's what we're looking for......

Send in a picture of you at a Warriors game or with a Warrior player around time.

You'll be entered to win a large sub combo courtesy of Quiznos Subs in Moose Jaw.

Send your pictures via facebook or twitter. The winning pictures will be posted here every two weeks.

Keep the clean and have some fun.

Warriors Working For the Weekend

They may be kicked out of Mosaic Place because of the "Holiday Festival on Ice", but that’s not stopping the Moose Jaw Warriors from getting ready for a pair of weekend games.

The guys practiced at the Bert Hunt yesterday, they're coming off of a 3-0 win over Prince Albert Wednesday and have points in five out of their last six.

Quinton Howden says even though they've found success as of late, they're still working hard at becoming better

"We've had some breakdown's here and there, and some costly turnovers that have hurt us. We've got the coaches behind us doing video every day helping us out fixing our mistakes. In the end we're making ourselves better each day."

The Florida Panthers 2010 first round draft pick has been on fire since returning from an early season injury, notching 11 goals and 25 points in 16 games.

Howden says muscling out a couple of close games as of late and throughout the year has helped them to build the teams character.

"That game in Brandon where we came back in the third period, other games where we're down a couple games and coming back to win, those are the character wins that we need to be pulling out. We're getting the job done and getting wins and that's all that matters."

The tribe has a pair of games on the weekend, the first being Saturday night at Mosaic Place against the Kootenay Ice. Howden says they've been anxiously awaiting this game against the Eastern Conference leaders.

"I remember last time we played them I was sitting out (due to injury) and got to watch, it was a good game. They're obviously the champs from last year and beat us out of the playoffs, it's kind of a bit of revenge game. They're having a good start to their season so it'll be a good test for us."

Howden says fans heading to the game tomorrow will see them and Kootenay go toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow. "They've got a lot of skilled guys over there, they're a good team."

"You saw them come together as a team last year and that's what helped them win a championship. Obviously their coaches making them do that again this year, and we're doing the same type of thing. It'll be a grind it out type of game and we're looking forward to it."

Catch the Warriors and Kootenay Ice Saturday night on Country 100, DiscoverMooseJaw.com, and mjwarriors.ca. James Gallo, Derek Kletzel, and Marc Smith get you ready for the opening draw with the PreGame Show at 6:40pm.

On Sunday the tribe heads back to Prince Albert for a rematch with the Raiders, coverage begins that night at 6:40pm.

In other WHL news...
Edmonton smashed Calgary 6-1 Thursday night. Tyler Maxwell scored two goals, Mark Pysyk had three assists, Dylan Wruck, Cody Corbett, and Martin Gernat had two assists each.

The win pulls the Oil Kings into a tie for third with the Warriors in the Eastern Conference.

Friday WHL schedule;
Kootenay v Prince Albert
Vancouver v Regina
Red Deer v Brandon
Spokane v Calgary
Saskatoon v Medicine Hat
Prince George v Kamloops
Everett v Portland
Victoria v Kelowna
Tri City v Seattle

Warriors Blank Raiders 3-0

The Moose Jaw Warriors picked up their third win in the last four games and have points in five out of their last six games after a 3-0 win last night in Prince Albert.

Warrior rookie Travis Brown opened the scoring with a first period power play goal at 12:15, they added to their lead just over three minutes later on Quinton Howden’s 11th of the year.

The Raiders adjusted well in the second period and came with a lot more fight on the Warriors, but Moose Jaw held their ground and kept their quality chances down, keeping it a 2-0 game going into the third.

The score would hold up until 11:02 when Sam Fioretti would score his 9th of the year. Fioretti drove down the right Raider well then cut to the net, he jammed the puck past the goal line at the same time he was crossed checked into the cross bar.

Warrior goalie Luke Siemens made 18 saves to record his second shutout the year; Moose Jaw was 1-for-7 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe says they were tested a day after falling to Vancouver in a shootout. "You travel up today and have to play a team right now is struggling a little bit and that plays into your mind."

"They played well, they blocked a lot of shots, but it's always in the back of your mind that you don't want them hanging around and that's what we did," added Vandenberghe.

Dylan McIlrath was back in the lineup after serving a three game suspension, he says it was a good defensive game for them as they limited the Raiders opportunities.

"We had our forwards coming back which really helped picking up their late guys. They were stretching the zone later in the game, I felt we did a good job keeping them to the outside and limiting their shots."

Vandenberghe says the team defensive was great in front of Siemens, helping him to earn the shutout. "We collapsed well and cleared away second and third opportunities."

"I can't remember a lot of second and third opportunities that they got. They got the initial shot and Luke made the save and then we were there. There wasn't a lot of net front scrambles tonight, which helps quit a bit when you're on the road and don't have to battle as hard in front of the net."

The Moose Jaw win combined with the Saskatoon Blades loss to Kootenay, pulls the Warriors into a tie for top spot in the East Division with the Blades with 37 points.

The guys will get the next two days off to rest before getting back on the ice Saturday for a clash against the Eastern Conference leading Kootenay Ice. Sunday night the Warriors will head back up to Prince Albert for a rematch with the Raiders.

Wednesday WHL scores;
Moose jaw 3 v 0 Prince Albert
Vancouver 4 v 5 Brandon
Kootenay 6 v 1 Saskatoon
Lethbridge 4 v 3 Medicine Hat
Spokane 5 v 2 Red Deer
Tri City 2 v 6 Kelowna
Kamloops 6 v 5 Victoria, overtime

Thursday WHL schedule;
Calgary v Edmonton