MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Build it and they will come.
Through the first two rounds of the Western Hockey League playoffs, the Moose Jaw Warriors have shown just how good of a team has been built in Canada’s Most Notorious City.
And to say the least, fans have been coming out to support their team.
All three games of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Swift Current Broncos at the Moose Jaw Events Centre were completely sold out well before puck drop, with close to 4,700 people packing the building all three games.
It was to the point in Game 5 that there was pretty much a weekday regular season-sized crowd in the stands when the teams took warm-ups on Friday night.
All that support in The Hangar has been beyond appreciated by the team, and with the Eastern Conference final against the Saskatoon Blades on the immediate horizon, things are only continuing to build.
“I’m just really excited for the fans,” said Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary when asked about being only the third team in franchise history to go this deep in the postseason. “I’ve been here 12 years now, and you meet a lot of people in that time and to see how much they care and how much they want to get to this point, I think it just makes it special.
“We saw the fans show up with sellout crowds here in the playoffs, and it’s a great experience for the players, but I’m just happy for the fans too, they deserve it.”
Warriors forward Jagger Firkus saw to it all those supporters would be ecstatic on Friday night, scoring a natural hat trick as Moose Jaw finished off the conference semifinal.
“To score goals is fun, especially if the crowd is like they were tonight,” Firkus said. “We appreciate the fans coming out to support us like they did, it means a lot to us. It definitely gives us a lot of jump and we’re looking forward to the next series to see what they’re going to do.”
For their part, Saskatoon Blades supporters have been behind their team as well, with over 8,000 supporters in the building for the first two games of the Red Deer series and a high of 9,869 for the first-round series clincher against Prince Albert.
As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see 10,000 plus in SaskTel Centre next weekend, with even the upper deck filled.
That’s something that’ll only make things more fun and interesting in Firkus’ opinion.
“There are going to be lots of ups and downs and we have to try our best to stay on an even keel, especially in their barn,” the Seattle Kraken prospect said. “They have a loud barn up there and it can fill up pretty quick, and the atmosphere there and especially here is going to be something else. We’re looking forward to it.”
Tickets for Games 3 and 4 went on sale on Sunday morning, and as of Sunday evening, the Moose Jaw Events Centre was half sold out, with the majority of south-end tickets long gone.
Give it a week, and there’s little question there won’t be a seat to be had.
“It’ll be mayhem and we’re looking forward to it,” O’Leary said. “It starts Friday in Saskatoon and we’re looking forward to the preparations next week, but when we’re back here next Tuesday it’ll be a lot of fun.”
You can pick up tickets at the Moose Jaw Events Centre box office and at www.sasktix.ca.
