The Dunny's Source for Sports Stratford Warriors Minor Peewee MD team finished second at the Stratford Early Bird tournament, September 27-29 after a disappointing 7-0 loss to the Kitchener Junior Rangers squad.
The Warriors opened the tourney September 27 with a 4-4 tie versus the Flamborough Sabres. Liam Benton, Wesley Patterson, Mark Martin and Andrew Davis scored.
In the second game, the Warriors came out flat versus the North London Nationals but started to get going in the second after Alex Robinson ripped a hard shot on net and Benton was there to tap in the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
After the Nationals tied it early in the third the teams exchanged chances with Reed Bowles making several great saves for the Warriors. The boys were finally rewarded with 46.7 seconds left when Callum Parsons jammed it home the winner on a goal mouth scramble. Preston Jeffrey picked up an assist in the 2-1 win.
On September 28, the Warriors faced off with the Woodstock Junior Navy Vets in the third game of the tournament. Two minutes in Colston Kibedi picked it up in the Warriors zone and powered through the defenders before firing on net. His shot was stopped but Davis jumped on the rebound and Martin rifled it home. The teams exchanged chances in the first but the Warriors held a 1-0 lead after one.
Early in the second Benton was tenacious on the puck and found Andre Lefebvre and he snapped the rebound home to make it 2-0.
Bowles came up with two big saves on the next shift to emphasize the Warriors determination to win. The entire team was hard on the puck and Bowles came up with some big saves to earn the shutout.
Next up was the Kitchener Junior Rangers. The teams exchanged chances in the first but the Warriors were unable to convert and the Rangers netted one late in the first after jumping on the rebound.
Midway through the second the Junior Rangers lit the lamp when he walked out front and ripped it. A minute later they took a 3-0 lead. Bowles made several great stops especially killing a penalty late in the second.
Early in the third Kitchener was handed another man advantage. The Warriors killed the penalty off but Kitchener converted on a two on one and added a fifth in the dying seconds for a 5-0 win.
The Warriors advanced to the final with five points with two wins, a tie and a loss.
In the final the undefeated Kitchener squad converted a rebound early in the first and the teams exchanged chances but it remained 1-0 after the first.
Kitchener took a 3-0 lead early in the second. Kibedi was denied on an end to end rush and then Blake McIntosh was drilled into the boards and the Warriors earned a power play but were unable to net one. The Rangers made it 4-0 late in the second.
Kitchener scored seconds into a power play early in the third and then added two more to round out the scoring and take the championship.
Bowles turned in an amazing job stepping in at the last minute to play goal for the Warriors and played a key role in the team's success.
The Warriors open the regular season October 5 in Kitchener and October 6 in Burlington.