The Neumeister Tier Two Novice Warriors played two regular season games this weekend. The team travelled to Kitchener on Saturday morning to play the Jr Rangers Black team and on Sunday they hosted the Woodstock Navy Vets. The Warriors lost a close defensive battle with outstanding goaltending on Saturday 2-0 and were outgunned by the first place Woodstock team on Sunday 9-0.
In the first game of the weekend, the Warriors battled hard, showed great determination but were ultimately unable to cash in on their chances. Davis Longston held the Jr Rangers without a goal in his portion of the game. Davis played his best game of the year, with strong positioning and a number of saves that kept the contest scoreless. Nolan Tryssenar continued his run of gritty play. Rowan Green and Kadyn Adams had chances to score but were thwarted by the Kitchener goalies. On defence, Ezra Wreford and Kieran Johnson played determined hockey as they both cleared the puck well and broke up several Jr. Rangers rushes. Fischer McPherson skated quickly and started the attack from the defensive zone with confidence. Kitchener scored midway through the third and got a power play marker late to put the game out of reach.
On Sunday, the Warriors struggled against the first place Navy Vets. They got off to a rocky start and fell behind early. Despite being outplayed and outshot, the team had some strong performances. John Spillane beat the Woodstock goalie with a shot from the point that slid half way over the line before being covered. He was a physical presence on the blue line as well. Lukas Morrison kept slowed the Kitchener attack by clearing the puck and skating Jr. Rangers wingers away from the goal. Evan Hughes and Josh Steele skated well and did create scoring chances.
The team has a rematch with the Jr. Rangers Black team and a weekend trip to Burlington to play the Bulldogs.