Whiskey Jacks get their first ever win, 25-22 over Badgers

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But Hrynuik was all smiles as he was able to return to Prince Albert this season and be a part of the first ever Whiskey Jacks’ victory.

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“It’s amazing man, it’s amazing. I was hoping we’d be able to get a win and we finally did it,” said Hrynuik. “I knew we’d be able to win at home. It’s a big testament to the work we’ve been putting in, in training and the time the guys have put in the gym.”

The Whiskey Jacks had a pair of sizeable leads late in the second half, at 20-7 and 25-12, but the Badgers made it a little more interesting than the Whiskey Jacks had hoped.

In the last three tries the Badgers scored, two came off of muffed kick returns and one came after a slew of Whiskey Jack penalties.

“The final few minutes as a coach, my blood pressure was through the roof,” said Whiskey Jacks coach Dominic Elsbury. “But the boys dug in there, you can tell (there was) a bit of inexperience with a few of penalties that went against us and a few of the decisions that we made, but I can’t knock anybody’s effort.

“The effort level was absolutely through the roof. The guys dug in and made every single tackle they could, so I’m very happy.”

The Whiskey Jacks opened the scoring thanks to their star standoff Ashton Milligan, his second consecutive try to start off a game. He sliced through the heart of the Badgers’ defence to give the Whiskey Jacks a 7-0 lead, which he later extended to 10-0 after successfully making a penalty goal.

Late in the half, the Badgers were able to get on the board after a successful kick and chase effort to make it a 10-7 game.

As the half time bell loomed, the Whiskey Jacks had chances to extend the lead but missed a penalty goal and drop kick opportunities as they entered the intermission with a meagre three point advantage.

After the second half started in an arm-wrestle, the Badgers tried to kick out of their own in-goal, but were unable to do so. After the ball squirted around in the Badgers’ in-goal, Whiskey Jacks Cameron Oleksyn dove on it to give the Whiskey Jacks a 15-7 lead. Bryce Ethier made it 20-7 after making an outstanding run down the touch line, which was seemingly the nail in the Badgers’ coffin.

They had other ideas as they answered immediately off the ensuing kickoff.

Whiskey Jacks Clayton Johnson got the ball after a scrum deep in Badgers territory, broke several tackles before ramming in for a try to make it 25-12. Although the Badgers added two more tries late, Johnson’s score ended up being the game winner as the Whiskey Jacks narrowly hung on with the 25-22 win.

“When we needed it, the guys stepped up so we’re very happy,” said Elsbury. “It’s fantastic. Hopefully we can use this as a launching pad for Saturday.

“We don’t want to be just a one-win team. We want to continue moving forward and keep the momentum going.”

Saturday’s game will be the Whiskey Jacks’ third in a seven-day span. They’ll take on the Saskatoon Gophers at 3 p.m. at Prime Minister’s Park. Their homestand will come to an end on July 23 after they take on the Krems.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea