Box Score Game Summary

If local boy Colin Behenna (Waterloo/) were to write a script for his debut with the Waterloo Warriors, he'd likely author a scenario in which he took over the game offensively, netted a hat trick, and scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat his team's biggest rival.

He missed doing exactly that by just one goal. Close enough.

Behenna potted his second goal of the game at the 3:02 mark of overtime to give the Warriors a 3-2 victory over the cross-town rival Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in front of a raucous crowd of 458 at the Columbia Icefield arena on Thursday night.

The Warriors carried the play in the first two-plus minutes of the extra session, outshooting the Hawks 3-0 before Behenna and fellow rookie Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge/) orchestrated the game-winning give-and-go. After gaining the line on the left wing, Behenna fed Sonnenburg on the goal line and streaked to the slot, taking Sonnenburg's return feed and zipping a backhander past the outstretched blocking arm of Laurier goaltender Ryan Daniels.

In addition to Behenna's two goals, Blake Chartier (Winnipeg/) also found the score sheet for the Warriors. Rookie forwards Adam Hughes and the aptly named Trent Hawkes scored for the visiting Golden Hawks. Daniels made 32 saves in the loss, while veteran Warriors backstop Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener/) was sturdy – and, at times, spectacular – in making 30 saves for the win.

The opening period of the season looked every bit like it, as both teams struggled to find their legs early on. The result of the disjointed play was a parade to the penalty box, and the parade route led primarily to the home team's sin bin. In a 14-minute span in the first period, the Warriors were called for five minor penalties, while the Hawks were called for just one. However, the Warriors penalty killing unit clamped down and the first period ended scoreless.

All the offense happened in the middle frame, as Chartier opened the scoring shorthanded at the 1:18 mark when he took an Andy Smith (Rosetown/) feed off an odd-man rush and buried his own rebound. Hughes evened the score 6 minutes later with his first career CIS goal, assisted by Zach Woolford and Matthew Provost.

Behenna once again gave the Warriors the lead with his first career goal, and it was of the highlight variety. He took a feed from captain Kirt Hill (Winnipeg/) in the neutral zone and kicked it into his highest gear, flying down the left side and sniping a wrister top corner over Daniels' glove. Steve Whitely (Petrolia/) also added an assist.

It looked as though the Warriors would carry their 2-1 lead into the third period before a Hill penalty gave the Hawks a late power play. On the man-advantage, a broken cross-crease pass hopped right on the stick of Hawkes, who made no mistake in evening the score.

Both teams tightened up defensively in the uneventful third, which included no goals, no penalties, and only 13 total shots. Between the third period and overtime, Waterloo outshot Laurier 12-5.

The Warriors won't have much time to celebrate their opening game win, as the defending OUA West champion Western Mustangs will come to town Friday night. The puck will drop at the Columbia Icefield arena at 7:30pm.
 
Notes: The Warriors were 1-3 on the power play, while the Golden Hawks were 1-7…Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner attended the game to watch his brother Ben, a Laurier forward…five Warriors made their CIS debuts on Thursday night, while the Hawks had eight rookies in their lineup…Hawks forward Mitch Lebar was assessed a 10-minute misconduct early in the first period for a check to the head.