Box Score The Warriors picked up their first victory of the season in prolific style, hammering the Brock Badgers 7-2 in front of over 500 spectators. The Warriors opened the scoring 30 seconds into the game and kept the offence running strong throughout the game on route to the lopsided win.
Mike Morrison (Hamilton) gets the victory in goal as the Warriors open up their season 1-0.
It was an emotional night for the Warriors: home opener against a strong Badgers team, a sold out crowd on residence night, and above all else, honouring their teammate,
Tyler Norrie (Simcoe), who suddenly passed away this summer. The team celebrated the life of Norrie with his family who did the ceremonial puck drop and displayed the commemorative Norrie patches that will be on their jerseys for the season.
The black and gold opened the scoring just 30 seconds into the game when the always reliable
Chris Chappell (Pickering) netted his first goal of the season off a beautiful dish from
Matt Kennedy (Oro Medonte). Warriors'
Andrew Smith (Kitchener) would score 1:34 later off an assist from
Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge) to put the home team ahead 2-0 early. It was as if Norrie was leading the charge to kick start the season.
Brock would cut the lead in half at the 8:45 mark of the first period off a controversial goal when Sammy Banga would net his first of the season after a chaotic scuffle in front of Morrison's net. The goal would stand with Andrew Radjenovic and Jamie Kendra getting assists to cut the lead in half to 2-1. The teams would head to the first intermission with a score of 2-1 for Waterloo.
It was evident throughout the game that these two teams did not like each other as the physicality was prominent throughout the contest.
Colin Behenna (Waterloo) would reap the benefits of strong puck movement from the Warriors when he scored a short-handed tally at the 2:33 mark of the second period.
Mike Moffat (Waterloo) and
Justin Larson (Buckhorn) were credited with the assists.
The Warriors would put the game well out of reach when
Matt Amadio (Sault Ste. Marie) scored on a penalty shot at 11:42 of the 2
nd period after being hauled down on a breakaway. Kennedy would add his first goal of the evening just 2:25 later off an assist from
Brett Mackie (Whitby) to send the game to the break with the Warriors leading 5-2.
The third period opened with conservative play from both squads but the Badgers' Spencer Turcotte would score his first of the season after Greg Jambrosich and Dan Tanel get set him up for the tally.
Waterloo would answer 2:23 later when Kennedy potted his second goal of the season on the powerplay from Silas and captain dependable
Joe Underwood (Canton). The Warriors would get their seventh goal of the game as
Andrew Smith (Kitchener) put a stamp on the game off assists from Underwood and Sonnenburg.
The Warriors won the game in strong fashion, walking over the Badgers on route to a 7-2 victory. Morrison had a solid game making 25 saves in the effort. The Warriors will host the Lakehead Thunderwolves tomorrow night at 7:30pm and try to open the season 2-0.
