The Stratford Warriors visited Guelph to play in the 49th Guelph Powerplay tournament in AA division on November 22-24, 2019.
In Game 1 vs North York Nights the Warriors skated to a 4-1 win. Luke Hishon had 2 goals while Ryan Watling and Saunder deGraauw had singles. Ethan Schmidt had 2 assists, with single assists going to Liam Micks, Nick McGill, and Watling. Mac Munro played well between the pipes.
Game 2 saw the Warriors beat LaSalle Sabres 9-1. Ethan Bridges had 3 goals while Schmidt had 2 goals and 2 assists, and Hishon netted a pair and added 1 assist. Caleb Hurley had a goal and an assist while single goals went to deGraauw and Hurley. Micks had a pair of assists and Owen Martin had a single helper. Gibson Trotter got the win in net.
Game 3 the Warriors played the host Guelph Gryphons. The Warriors clinched a semi final spot with the 8-1 win. Hishon had a pair of goals with Hurley, Ryder Duchesne and Martin adding a goal and 2 assists each. Single markers went to Watling, Bridges, and McGill. Schmidt had 2 helpers with Cohen Bowles adding an assist. Gibson Trotter had a solid game in net.
Game 4 saw the Warriors play the top ranked team in the tournament, Quinte West Hawks. The 2 teams skated to a 2-2 final. Martin and Micks scored in the tie. Bridges and Hurley each with an assist.
In the Semi Finals, the Warriors beat the Belleville Bulls 5-4 to move onto the finals. deGraauw had an outstanding game with a hat trick and an assist in the win. Schmidt had a goal and 2 assists with Hishon adding a goal and assist. Single assists went to Colton Campbell, Watling and Hurley. Mac Munro played well with some timely saves in net.
In an exciting final the Warriors again faced off with Quinte West. The game went back and forth with Stratford leading 4-2 at one point before Quinte tied the game up 4-4 late in the 3rd. Overtime saw the teams skate 3 on 3 for only 51 seconds. After a game saving stop by goaltender Munro, Schmidt picked up a pass from Hishon, skated down the ice and fire it top shelf for the Championship. Hishon had a pair of goals and 2 assists, with Schmidt scoring 2 and adding an assist in the win. Bridges had a goal and an assist while deGraauw added a single assist.
NEXT ACTION: After the Warriors had a well-deserved weekend off, they head to Belle River this weekend to see if they can come home with more hardware.
(written by Todd Schmidt)