Riders beat Lions to punch ticket to CFL West final
Nov 03, 2024
The Riders are back in the West final for the first time since 2021.
The Moose Jaw Warriors scored first, but weren’t able to hold off the OHL-winning London Knights at the Memorial Cup.
The Knights beat the Warriors 5-4 in Game 4 of the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw on Monday.
Moose Jaw is now 0-2 at the tournament, meaning Tuesday’s night’s game against the Drummondville Voltigeurs is a must-win for the Warriors.
Mark O’Leary, Moose Jaw’s head coach, said the players did well individually, but the team missed some early chances.
“I just thought that there were some opportunities throughout the game early on where we didn’t cash in,” O’Leary said in a statement after the game. “These moments, these decisions in the game can come back and haunt you.”
Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw’s captain, opened the scoring just a couple minutes into the game, thanks to a pass from Atley Calvert.
But despite the strong start, the team missed out on four powerplay chances.
“Our powerplay can win us games throughout the regular season and playoffs,” Moose Jaw’s Jagger Firkus said.
“I don’t think it was great tonight. Obviously, we created looks, but at the same time, we need to get them in the back of the net. Special teams is what hurt us as well tonight, giving up a short-handed one and not scoring on a power play was the difference.”
Moose Jaw will now have to make it past the winless Voltigeurs to secure a spot in the semifinals, where they’ll either have a rematch against London or take on the hosting Saginaw Spirit.
O’Leary said he’s looking forward to Tuesday night’s quarterfinal game.
“That’s a pretty good spot to be in,” the head coach said.
“I mean, 0-2 is no fun. Winning is way more fun. Everybody knows that. But the way this tournament works, you’re in a situation where in one game, you’re in the semi-finals, and at any tournament that you go into – whether it’s Memorial Cup or the World Juniors – if you told me you had a chance to win a quarterfinal game. I’ll take that.”
It’s been a decade since a team from the WHL last won the Memorial Cup, and 35 years since it was last lifted by a team from Saskatchewan.
The puck drops Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. local time.