It was a very positive weekend for the Warriors who ended
the month of November undefeated in league and tournament play with 16 straight
victories. The Warriors return to league play against the London Knights this
weekend and look to continue their momentum into the second half of the season.
The Stratford Scotiabank Peewee Warriors took part in the 41st annual Guelph Powerplay tournament, November 23-25 in Guelph and surround area. Stratford outlasted the competition and won the championship going undefeated in the tourney.
The tournament began with a game against the Owen Sound Jr. Attack on Friday. Stratford was slow to start and found themselves trailing 1-0 early in the second period, after raising their play and trading several chance throughout the middle frame the Warriors were able to even the score before the end of the period. Locked in a 1-1 game the teams battled throughout the third period, but Stratford was determined to come out on top and a relentless forecheck led to three goals in the final 4:33 seconds of the game. Stratford took the opener by a final score of 4-1, goal scorers in the game were Brayden Carnegie (2), Michael Messerschmidt and Ethan Hill. Danny Pacheco was excellent between the pipes in the first half of the game allowing the Warriors time to get their game turned around.
In game two on Friday the Warriors faced Uxbridge- in a preview of the final matchup- the Warriors seemed to find their legs between games and were on Uxbridge early forechecking aggressively and creating turnovers in the offensive zone. The game was a physical affair with both teams laying some good clean checks and battling hard. Stratford proved to be too much and walked away with a 5-0 win in game two. Mitch Watt was solid when called upon picking up the shutout for Stratford. Stratford goal scorers were Brayden Carnegie (2), Zach Otto, Ethan Hill, and Dean Jackson.
Saturday the Warriors played another two games, first up was a familiar opponent from league play in West London. It was a tightly contested match with both teams not giving an inch, the Warriors were led by the defence in this game as they provided all of the offence and did an excellent job shutting down the opposition and limiting quality scoring chances Stratford won by a tight margin of 3-2. Goal scorers for Stratford were Andrew Maguire, Eric Gibb and Cameron Hanson.
In their evening tilt Stratford faced a desperate Collingwood team. The Warriors again came out of the gate strong opening the scoring in the first frame and forechecking aggressively throughout the game. The forecheck and strong breakout of their own zone proved too much for Collingwood as the Warriors skated to a 4-1 victory to close out the round robin 4 and 0. Goal scorers for Stratford were Michael Messerschmidt, Dean Jackson, Ethan Hill and Zach Otto.
Even with the loss, Collingwood was able to advance to the semi-finals and Stratford would meet them Sunday morning for a rematch. It was a very spirited affair with both teams taken plenty of penalties, and special teams playing a big role. Stratford was able to build a 3-1 lead by the midway point of the third period on goals by Brayden Carnegie, Sam Davey and Dean Jackson. An excellent penalty kill and solid goaltending allowed Stratford to kill a 6-3 advantage for Collingwood over the final minute and change to preserve the victory and cement a place in the final Sunday evening.
Against another familiar opponent in the finals Stratford faced off for a rematch against Uxbridge who had knocked off the home town Guelph Storm in the other semi-final. Stratford was without the services of two players in the finals but came out with a gritty effort, outworking and out-hustling Uxbridge in all three zones, eventually taking the championship by a 3-1 score. Goals were contributed by Max Hall, Michael Messerschmidt and Ethan Hill in the win. It was a very positive weekend for the Warriors who ended the month of November undefeated in league and tournament play with 16 straight victories. The Warriors return to league play against the London Knights this weekend and look to continue their momentum into the second half of the season.