Three unanswered goals propel Warriors to OUA Outdoor Classic win
HAMILTON, Ont. - The Waterloo Warriors scored three unanswered goals in the final period to capture the first ever OUA Outdoor Classic 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton.
Waterloo netminder Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) was named the Harrow Sports Canada player of the game for his consistently stellar play between the pipes for the Warriors. Hartigan stopped 29 of 30 shots, ultimately keeping Waterloo in the game, while Badgers starting goalie Kurt Jory (Brandon, Man.) allowed two goals on 23 shots, as Waterloo’s third marker was an empty net goal.
The atmosphere was buzzing and both teams shared the excitement of playing in the great outdoors. As each team took the ice it was impossible to miss the smiles on the coaching staff and players who were simply thrilled with the opportunity to play in the Outdoor Classic. The excitement quickly turned into spirited competition as both teams fought until the bitter end in a penalty filled affair.
The Badgers took advantage of the crowd’s excitement with the first quality chance three minutes into the game. Josh Schram (Paris, Ont.) walked in alone on Hartigan, but the fourth year goalie managed to stick his blocker out, and keep the game scoreless. Hartigan would continue to stand tall for the first half of the opening frame. The period would end with Brock holding a slight edge in shots at 7-5, and the game locked at zeros.
The second period opened in similar fashion as the first, this time with Brock forward Derek Brochu (Welland, Ont) finding himself one-on-one with Hartigan, but again the Warrior netminder would turn aside the early period chance. Brock would continue their attack but could not solve Haritgan and the Warriors’ defence.
Following a Badger penalty to Kevin Christmas (Hamilton, Ont.), the Warriors would get their best opportunity of the second period off the stick of leading scorer Kirt Hill (Winnipeg, Man.). Hill picked up the puck in the slot but fired it high glove, just missing the top corner.
Shortly after successfully killing their penalty, the visiting Brock Badgers were the first to find the scoreboard when Thomas Stajan (Mississauga, Ont.) made no mistake from the slot, firing home his tenth goal of the season.
Despite the fierce play from both sides in the opening two periods, the OUA Outdoor Classic became true to its name in the final frame as the competition turned fierce between the two combatants.
The Warriors found the equalizer at 6:39 as Jeff Einhorn’s (Calgary, Alta.) point shot made its way through a slew of bodies and past Jory. Andy Smith picked up the lone helper on the Einhorn goal. Two minutes later Waterloo notched what would be the eventual game winner as Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) tipped home a Ryan Molle (Calgary, Alta.) point shot. The goal was generated off a determined effort by Tyler Moir (Calgary, Alta.) who picked up his own rebound and circled the net before sliding a perfect pass out to Molle.
With Waterloo leading the Badgers 2-1 late in the third, the game took on a whole new momentum. Brock defenceman Jake LaPlante (Mississauga, Ont.) took exception to an exchange of words by the Warriors and ended up serving a total of 19 minutes in penalties, giving Waterloo a seven minute power play.
The Warriors were not intent on killing the clock on their lengthy power play, and proceeded to dive into trouble of their own by taking three straight minor penalties to send Brock to a late 5-on-3 situation.
Hartigan and the Warrior penalty kill, led by Ray and Joe Underwood (Canton, MI), remained poised and killed off the two-man Brock advantage. With only a minute remaining in an exciting outdoor contest the Warriors sealed the victory as Hill pinched the boards on a keep-in attempt by the Badgers and slid the puck into the empty net.
Despite the loss, Brock Head Coach Murray Nystrom was thrilled with the experience. “We certainly enjoyed the whole setting, and I think the game lived up to the high expectations. We are grateful to the Hamilton Bulldogs for the opportunity to be a part of the festival, and we’re very thankful to them for showcasing OUA hockey. The atmosphere was great, and the weather was spectacular. Though we would have preferred a different result, we’ll look back years from now and reflect positively on the experience.”
Warriors’ captain Chris Ray shared Nystrom’s sentiment. “I think when you’re part of CIS hockey, you don’t expect to be able to come to a venue like this, and I know everyone on Brock and our team feel very honoured. Only two teams in our league got the chance to play, and it feels special to be a part of the first OUA Outdoor Classic.”
Waterloo moved to 13-6-3 on the season, only two points back of second place Lakehead. Brock slipped back to 11-10-1 on the season, good for fifth in the OUA West.
The Warriors and Badgers will renew their established rivalry only three days from now as they meet again in St. Catharines on Wednesday night in what is sure to be a heated contest. Puck drop is set for 7:35pm at the Seymour-Hannah Centre.
