Box Score For the first 90 seconds of their home opener, it looked like the Western Mustangs might ruin the start of a new year for the Waterloo Warriors. But the hosts had other explosive plans.
Keigan Goetz (New Hamburg) notched a hat trick in his first career USports game, and the Warriors erased an early deficit with 8 unanswered goals en route to a 9-3 season-opening win on Wednesday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena in Waterloo.
Joey Champigny (East Angus/) added a pair of goals for Waterloo, while defenceman Eric Diodati (Niagara Falls/) was an offensive force, notching five assists on the night. Daniel Perigo (Truro/) added three assists of his own, while Mitchell Smith (Plainfield/) and Nick Halagian (St. Catharines/) each pitched in with a goal and an assist apiece. Michael Morgan (Scarborough/) and Eric Cimino (London/) also scored for the Warriors, who went 5-9 on the man advantage.
Rylan Bechtel and Zach Core scored for Western early, giving the Mustangs a 2-0 lead just a minute-and-a-half into the contest. After trading power play markers to give Western a 3-1 lead, the Warriors narrowed it to 3-2 before the end of the first period.
The hosts blew the game open in the second, scoring five times in the middle frame – including three in a span of 3:41 – to take a commanding 7-3 lead into the room after 40 minutes. Goetz finished his hat trick in the third, while Smith rounded out the scoring with a short-handed marker.
In goal, Mike Morrison (Hamilton/) allowed two goals on the first two shots he faced, before rebounding to turn aside 30 shots in victory. In the Western net, third-stringer Nicholas Legallais was victimized by a tough night from the Western defence corps, allowing 9 goals on 36 shots before succumbing the net to Dan Davies in the third.
The Warriors will now look to start the season 2-0 as they face the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday, October 13. Puck drop from the Columbia Icefield Arena is slated for 7pm.
