Mar 04, 2019 | lmusselman | 958 views
Warriors off to the Alliance Hockey Playdown Finals
The Stratford Bantam Warriors, sponsored by Canadian Tire, are off to the Alliance Playdown Finals after a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Waterloo Wolves on home-ice on Sunday night.
The Warriors took the first two games, winning the opener 8-0 on home-ice and then 3-2 in Waterloo on Saturday, setting up the opportunity to close out the semi-final series back home at the William Allman on Sunday night.
Goaltender Russel Sebben earned the shutout in Game 1, turning aside all 20 shots he faced. The Warriors exploded for eight goals in the first game with a very balanced attack, scoring three times in the first period, twice in the second, and three more times in the final period. The line combination of Nick Houben, Cole Lewis, and Jonas Schmidt combined for four goals, while Aubrey Carter, Nole Musselman, and Ethan Scrimgeour added two goals. Not to be outdone, Caleb Arent, Tyler Wagler, and Jacob Hall, controlled the game while on the ice and added two goals of their own. The Warrior defensemen, Issac Deline (2 assists), Anthony Guzvinec, Drew Wilken, Zach McCann, and Matthew Barber controlled both ends of the ice with several strong first-passes and some slick rushes up the ice.
The contest on Saturday in Waterloo was a defensive battle, with the unofficial final shot tally being 23-15 in favour of the Warriors. The Warriors never trailed in the game, but needed a third period goal from Schmidt to seal the victory and set-up the opportunity to sweep the series on home-ice Sunday. Houben and Hall added the other Warrior markers. Guzvinec and Schmidt were on the ice for all three Warrior tallies against the Wolves in Waterloo. For the second game in a row, Sebben earned the victory and closed out the 2018-19 campaign with a staggering 6-0 record against the Wolves, including a 1.50 GAA.
Back home on Sunday, the defensive-minded play continued for both teams with neither team being able to find the back of the net in the first two periods of play. The Warriors held a lopsided shot advantage, with the Wolves managing only a single shot on goalie Curtis Ball in the second period, which included a four-minute powerplay for the Wolves. The Warriors penalty-killing units kept the puck in the Wolves half of centre-ice for most of the 4 minutes and managed 4 shots on the Wolves goaltender over the stretch. In the final seven minutes of the game, Lewis finally solved the Wolves’ goaltender knocking in a rebound goal for the winner. Schmidt and Houben added assists on the play, with the Warriors having had possession for a lengthy period of time leading up to the game-winner. Guzvenic and Deline, Warriors’ defense-unit on the ice along with the entire forward line, all had touches on the puck in the seconds leading up to the goal. Ball earned the Warriors’ second shut-out of the series, turning aside all 13 Wolves’ shots.
NOTES: The Warriors outscored the Wolves 12-2 in the series, averaging 32 shots per game while allowing only 16 against. Houben led the Warriors with a plus/minus rating of plus 8 in the series and not a single Warrior held a minus-rating over the course of the series. The Warriors will now face the London Jr. Mustangs Purple team for the Alliance Championship, with the winner representing the Alliance at the OHF Championship in Temiskaming, ON in April.