WHL Champions Survive Wild 3rd Period, Defeat Drummondville Voltigeurs 5-3
The winning formula returned Tuesday for the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Memorial Cup in Saginaw, MI.
The formula goes by the name of Jagger Firkus, 2022 2nd round draft choice of the Seattle Kraken. He scored his first goal of the tournament in a 5-3 Moose Jaw victory over Drummondville.
The meeting of the WHL champ Warriors and QMJHL champ Voltigeurs was a back-and-forth slugfest. Firkus' goal helped the Warriors to a 3-0 lead, which they later relinquished.
For the Kraken prospect nicknamed "Firkus Circus," it was his 14th goal and 32nd point in 20 postseason games. Combining regular season and playoffs, the 20-year-old Alberta native has tallied 75 goals.
Things looked dire for Moose Jaw when Firkus took a roughing penalty with 3:23 to play in a 3-3 tie. But now-immortal Aiden Ziprick saved the day with a game-winning shorthanded goal.
Moose Jaw surrendered 26 (!) 3rd period shots. Fortunately, now-immortal goalie Jackson Unger responded with 25 of his 49 saves.
Despite a 1-2 record in the round robin, Firkus and teammates live to play in Friday's semifinal. From AP: "The Warriors play the loser of Wednesday night’s game between the host Saginaw Spirit and Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights, both with 2-0 records. The winner of that game earns a direct berth to Sunday’s championship game."