In a virtual must-win game for their playoff aspirations, a pair of veteran Waterloo Warriors propelled their club to a huge two points.
Mike Morrison (Hamilton/) returned from injury to make 24 saves - plus three more in the shootout - and Mike Moffat (Waterloo/) scored the only shootout goal to give Waterloo a 2-1 victory over the Windsor Lancers on Saturday night at the South Windsor Arena.
The victory gave Waterloo a split of the weekend doubleheader with the Lancers, after Windsor claimed a 7-4 victory on Friday night. The Warriors now sit two points behind the Lancers for the last playoff spot in the OUA West division, with Waterloo holding a game in hand on Windsor.
Nick Halagian (St. Catharines/) scored the only regulation time goal in Waterloo's victory on Saturday, while Windsor captain Blake Blondeel tied the game at 1-1 with seven minutes to play in the third. Jonathan Reinhart took the loss between the Lancer pipes, turning aside 26 shots.
The second leg of the doubleheader was a defensive, tight-checking affair, but the drama ratcheted up a level once regulation expired. First, Morrison made a huge glove save early in the extra session, before Reinhart robbed Michael Siddall (St. Mary's/) on a breakaway in overtime. Then, Morrison and the Warriors penalty-killing unit went to work after Daniel Perigo (Truro/) was assessed a tripping penalty, weathering a storm in which the Lancers barely left the offensive zone for the entire two minutes.
Those efforts sent the game to a shootout, where the goaltenders took over: Morrison and Reinhart traded saves through the first two rounds of the shootout, until Moffat made a gorgeous deke to the forehand to beat the Windsor keeper. Reinhart argued - perhaps that his pad was pushed in by Moffat's stick, or that the post was dislodged before the puck crossed the line – but the goal stood. Morrison then completed the dramatic win by stymieing Kyle Hope, giving Waterloo an integral two points.
The win became especially important given the events of the first game between the two teams on Friday night, as the Lancers scored six straight goals to claim a 7-4 victory. Ryan Shaw scored twice for Windsor, while Alex Friesen added a goal and two assists for the Lancers. Meanwhile, Perigo notched a goal and a helper, and Moffat chipped in with two assists for the Warriors in a losing cause. Joey Champigny (East Angus/), Mitch Elliot (Prince George/), and Markson Bechtold (Strathmore/) also earned goals for Waterloo.
Reinhart earned the victory, stopping 20 shots after replacing Blake Richard at the start of the second period. Trevor Martin (Ardrossan/) made 27 stops to take the loss in the Waterloo net.
The Warriors jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 20 seconds in, thanks to a one-time blast from Elliiot. The Warriors were able to extend their advantage to 3-1 early in the second, but Friesen scored a power play goal to cut the Waterloo lead to 3-2 just moments later.
Then, just past the midway point of the middle stanza, the Lancers exploded: Shaw got on the board first, before Kody Gagnon gave Windsor their first lead of the game. Then, Shaw tallied again, and Ryan Taylor found twine, giving the Lancers four straight goals in a span of just 7:31. All of a sudden, a promising Waterloo lead had become a 6-3 deficit after forty minutes. The clubs exchanged goals in the final frame, giving Windsor the 7-4 victory.
Waterloo's record now sits at 8-12-3, with five games left on their schedule. Meanwhile, the Lancers sit at 7-10-7 with four games left to play, holding on to a slim two-point advantage over the Warriors and the Toronto Varsity Blues for the 8th and final playoff spot in the OUA West division. The Warriors will play their game in hand this coming Wednesday, when they take on the Western Mustangs in London. Puck drop is slated for 7pm.
