Dec 06, 2022 | Scott Siebert | 209 views
U16 Stratford Warriors Battle Hard in Mississauga Rattlers Tournament
The Warriors headed east up the 401 this past weekend to compete in the Mississauga Rattlers tournament loaded with some of the best teams in the GTHL.
Friday morning's matchup with the Mississauga North Stars was a back and forth affair. Brody Borszcz got the call in net for the Warriors and he turned away a pair of chances early in the first period to keep the score knotted at 0-0 after one. Each team had limited chances in the offensive zone in the second and both keepers kept the shooters at bay - 0-0 after two. Stratford came out firing in the third and put the pressure on the Stars but just couldn't slip one past the line. Mississauga got on the board with 6 minutes left in the game to put the Warriors down by a goal and a flurry of shots in the last few minutes from the Warriors kept the fans on the edge of their seats, but nothing slid past. Final score - Stars 1, Warriors 0.
Henry Tuer got the call in game 2, the Warriors looking to bounce back and get in the win column against the Mississauga Jets. Stratford kept the action in the Jets end for the majority of the first period with a pair of good chances for Logan Hallock and Dawson White but both came up empty - 0-0 after one period. Ryan Gansevles (A- Nathan Siebert) wasted no time early in the second ripping a shot over the keepers shoulder to make it 1-0 Stratford. Stratford would add another late in the period, Dylan Abel (A - Ellis Schnurr, Siebert) rifled a shot from the right dot to make it 2-0 Warriors after 2. Carter Petrie won the opening draw of the second to Dawson White who tapped it back to Petrie. Fighting off the Jets defender, Petrie stickhandling fooled the goalie and the puck slid through the wickets to make it 3-0 Stratford. The Warriors pressed on a late power play but couldn't manage another goal. Defensemen Rylan Hall and Austin Musselman stifled the Jets attack time after time, steering the Jets off the runway to the boards. Final score - Warriors 3, Jets 0.
Saturday morning's opponent was Burlington Eagles Blue. Stratford jumped out of the gates early with Petrie wiring one home off a pair of passes from Gansevles and Griffin McGregor. The Eagles would answer quickly however, sneaking one past Borszcz to tie the game up at 1-1 after the first. The second period saw both teams keep things in the neutral zone, tipping passes and pushing pucks to the boards - 1-1 after 2. Stratford again came out firing in the third creating chance after chance. The frustrated Eagles took a penalty halfway through the frame and Petrie buried one off a shot from Abel to put them up 2-1. Some lockdown defence from Blake Hodgson and Zack Shultz kept the Eagles back in their own end for most of the period. A few more power plays late let the Warriors control the action and a late EN goal from Blair Stokes (A - Petrie,Gansevles) sealed the victory. Final score - Warriors 3, Eagles Blue 1.
Saturday afternoon the Milton Winterhawks were hoping to play spoiler, the Warriors needing a victory to earn a birth to Sunday's semifinal. Stratford exploded off the opening draw with Petrie burying a feed from McGregor to give the Warriors the early lead. The early strike would prove to rustle the Hawks feathers as they dominated the last 10 minutes of the period taking advantage of some costly turnovers and scoring three unanswered goals putting the Warriors in a 3-1 hole leading into the second. The Warriors fought off another push from Milton early in the second period and a solid backcheck from Liam Ollson kept them away from the Stratford goal. Griffin McGregor (A-Z. Schultz) fired one home to narrow the margin to 3-2 and then quickly potted another off a rebound from a Schnurr shot to tie the game at 3-3. Pressing on the backcheck, Blair Stokes was gifted a puck from the Milton D and buried the go ahead marker into the open net. 4-3 Stratford after 2. The Warriors held on tight in the third period, keeping pucks deep and taking advantage of a late power play with Petrie knocking one home from Stokes to seal the victory and a first place in the division heading into Sunday. Final score - Stratford 5, Milton 3.
Sunday's early morning Semifinal matched the North York Knights against the Warriors. Ryan McGee (A-Stokes, Hall) lit the lamp, burying his tipped rebound to give the Warriors the early lead. Stratford found themselves in the box however shortly after and the Knights capitalized. Game tied at 1-1 after a period. Another costly penalty put Stratford on their heels and quickly down 2-1. A power play of their own gave them a chance to answer back and it was McGee again (A- Stokes, Hall), needling one past the North York netminder. McGee struck again on a 4 on 4 to complete the Hatty (A-Stokes) and put Stratford up 3-2. The Knights responded immediately on the same 4 on 4, tying the game heading into the third period. The third saw each team press hard when given a man advantage, each goaltender holding things tight. The Knights got the go ahead goal with just over 6 minutes remaining. Stratford mustered a few late pushes but it wasn't meant to be. A late EN goal made the final 5-3 for North York.
Ottawa Silver Seven would go on to defeat Milton in their semifinal and beat North York 5-1 to capture the tournament championship. Thanks to the Mississauga Rattlers organization for a great weekend of hockey.
Next Action - Wednesday Dec. 7, 2022 @ Kitchener Jr. Rangers - 8pm at Activa