Box Score The Waterloo Warriors just can't buy a goal when they need it the most.
The Warriors held the visiting Ottawa Gee-Gees to just two goals on 30 shots, but the offence once again struggled to push pucks across the line in a 2-1 loss on Friday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
Marc Beckstead scored the eventual game-winning goal at 5:55 of the third period to lift the Gee-Gees to a win.
Riley Sonnenburg (Cambridge) scored Waterloo's line marker on the night.
The loss drops the snakebitten Warriors to 3-5-2 on the season, despite the effort from Waterloo goaltender
Chris Hurry (Summerland), who made 28 saves in the loss. Meanwhile, Graham Hunt stymied the Warriors all night, making 27 saves to help improve Ottawa's record to 3-6-1.
Despite a long road trip earlier in the day, there were no signs of bus legs for the Gee-Gees early on. Ottawa controlled the pace of play in the game's opening minutes, and they were rewarded just over six minutes in, when a Brendan Jacome rebound was buried by John Deacon to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
While the remainder of the first period was tight-checking - there were just 12 combined shots in the opening 20 minutes - action picked up in the second. Both clubs had ample opportunity to add to the scoreboard, but Hurry and Hunt were up to the task, and the middle frame ended scoreless.
But just 29 seconds into the third period,
Matt Amadio (Sault Ste. Marie) forced a turnover in the Ottawa zone, and Sonnenburg jumped on the free puck. The Waterloo captain deposited a wicked wrister high over the short side of Hunt to even the score at 1-1.
The Warriors had momentum, but the young Gee-Gees kept coming, and they were finally rewarded just over five minutes after the equalizer. Hurry made the initial two stops on a goal mouth scramble, but the rebound squeezed to Beckstead, who made no mistake on what would hold up as the game-winner. The Warriors came close to tying the game late, but Hunt held the fort to secure the win for Ottawa.
The Warriors will try to put the loss behind them quickly when they host the McGill Redmen on Saturday afternoon, November 12. Puck drop for the annual Think Pink fundraising game is scheduled for 4pm at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
