The Moose Jaw Warriors are on top of the WHL for the first time after defeating the Portland Winterhawks in four games on Wednesday.
With the sweep, the Warriors alongside the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League and the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League all swept their respective championship series, marking the first time in CHL history all three series have ended in sweeps.
Playing in front of their fans on Wednesday, Moose Jaw got the scoring started halfway through the first period on a power play goal.
After Portland tied the game in the second period, the Warriors regained the lead a minute later with a goal off Matthew Savoie’s stick.
The Winterhawks netted an equalizer before the end of the second period and going into the final frame the score was tied at two goals a piece.
With the clock winding down, Brayden Schuurman buried the game-winner before his teammates added an empty net goal.
For the first time since the team’s founding in Winnipeg in 1980 and relocation to Moose Jaw in 1984, the Warriors are the WHL champions.
The Warriors previously made it to the finals in 2006, where they were on the other side of a sweep, falling to the Vancouver Giants.
Moose Jaw will now represent the WHL at the Memorial Cup in Saginaw, Michigan, later this month.
A WHL team has not won the cup since the Edmonton Oil Kings in 2014.
