Mar 01, 2023 | Scott Siebert | 189 views
U16 Warriors Finish out AA Round with a Split.
The U16 Warriors were on the road Saturday February 25 in Hamilton.
The home squad came out flexing and ended up in the box early. Stratford pressed but couldn't slip a shot through to the Hamilton netminder. Brody Borszcz held strong in net for the Warriors, turning away a handful of great chances from the Huskies. Another Hamilton penalty midway through the period would allow Stratford to strike first. Zach Schultz fired a shot from the point and Colin Schultz found the rebound and put it away - 1-0 Stratford after one period.
Hamilton got on the board early in the second to tie the game at 1-1. A few neutral zone turnovers saw them notch a second and third goal to take a 3-1 lead. Stratford would claw back however, Liam Ollson snatching a puck in the slot and fired it home. 3-2 Hamilton after 2 periods.
The third period saw both teams struggle to initiate much of anything offensively. A late Warrior penalty would allow Hamilton to pad their lead scoring another two goals in the last 3 minutes of play. Final Score - Hamilton 5, Stratford 2.
Sunday afternoon the Warriors were ready to bounce back and finish the AA round strong against Brantford.
Stratford fired shot after shot in the Brantford zone and would be rewarded early. Ryan McGee sniped a shot in from the top of the right circle of an entry pass from Carter Petrie to open the scoring. Netminder Henry Tuer kept the sheet clean, turning away a pair of chances from the 99ers in the period. The Warriors would add another goal late, Zach Schultz on the rush wheeled in behind the net and found Dylan Abel in the slot to take a 2-0 lead at the intermission.
Pressing early with a 5-3 advantage, Stratford turned the puck over and Brantford fought through the solid backcheck to grab a shorty and cut the lead to 2-1. The Warriors quickly answered back, Rylan Hall to Ryan McGee, who slid one cross ice to Carter Petrie who threaded one past the D and into the back of the net. Stratford 3, Brantford 1 after two periods.
Stratford would add to their lead midway through the third as Griffin McGregor rifled one past the Brantford line (A-McGee). A minute later, a broken play in the Brantford zone saw Carter Petrie notch his second of the game to go up 5-1 (A - Hallock, Abel). The Warriors would win the ensuing faceoff and Griffin McGregor flew down the wing and spun the defender and froze the goalie with a filthy toe drag before flipping it past the line (A-McGee). Stratford 6, Brantford 1. A late PP for the visitors netted them their second goal with less than a minute remaining, but that's all they would get. Final Score Stratford 6, Brantford 2.
Next Action:
4 vs 5 Playoff vs. Hamilton Huskies (6 point series)
Game 1 @ Rotary Complex - Wednesday March 1 - 6:45pm
Game 2 @ Hamilton - Saturday March 4 - 6:00pm
Game 3 @ Allman - Sunday March 5 - 4:30pm