The Waterloo Warriors fought tooth-and-nail for their playoff lives in the second annual Battle of Waterloo at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, but a big second period tipped the scales in Laurier's favour – and ultimately, eliminated the Warriors from postseason contention.
The Golden Hawks scored three times in a dominant middle frame, and a Waterloo third-period comeback bid came up short, as Laurier claimed their second straight Battle of Waterloo game with a 4-2 win over the Warriors at the Aud on Wednesday night.
Defenceman Kalob Witzell's first career OUA goal held up as the game winner for Laurier, who improved to 14-10-3 on the season. Trevor Sauder and Danny Hanlon also notched goals for the Hawks, while former Kitchener Ranger Brandon Robinson scored a goal in his former home rink for the second straight year.
Keigan Goetz (New Hamburg/) notched his team-leading 13th goal of the season for Waterloo in the loss, while Zac Coulter (Owen Sound/) also found twine for the black and gold. Nick Halagian (St. Catharines/) and Phillip Fife (Oromocto/) added two assists apiece, as the Warriors saw their record fall to 9-15-3. The loss also mathematically eliminated the Warriors from playoff contention with only one game left in the regular season.
The result ruined an otherwise outstanding start for another player making a comeback to the Aud, Waterloo netminder Mike Morrison (Hamilton/). The fifth-year starter who spent parts of three seasons with the Rangers was tremendous all night, kicking away 43 shots. Colin Furlong made 38 saves to earn the win in the Laurier net.
It was apparent early on that the goaltenders would go a long way in deciding the contest, as the teams exchanged chances late in the first after a tepid start to the game. Warriors captain Mike Moffat (Waterloo/) hit a crossbar, and Morrison made a tremendous blocker save on the doorstep late in the first to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
But the second period was all Laurier. First, on the man advantage, Robinson's quick release squeezed through Morrison to make it 1-0. Then, Sauder tipped a shot past Morrison on the short side to double the Warriors lead, before Wetzell walked into a wrister top shelf to make it 3-0. Meanwhile, in between the first and second Laurier markers, Wetzell made a goal-saving play at the other end – a Cole Murphy (Cole Harbour/) shot squeaked through Furlong, but the rookie blueliner slid behind his keeper and swatted the puck off the goal line. When all was said and done, Laurier had outscored Waterloo 3-0 and outshot them 21-7 in the middle stanza.
The Warriors pushed back in the third, but the Hawks extended their lead when Christian Mroczkowski burst in on a breakaway from center ice. Morrison made an unreal toe stop on the Mroczkowski move, but Danny Hanlon slammed the rebound into the open side of the net to make it 4-0 Laurier.
The Warriors weren't done, however, as Goetz converted a Fife feed on a 2-on-1 to break Furlong's shutout bid. Waterloo then cut the lead to two on the closing seconds of a power play, when Coulter put home a Fife rebound to make it 4-2. But with time ticking down and Morrison on the bench for the extra attacker, the Warriors couldn't muster any more offense, falling short in the Battle of Waterloo at the Aud for the second straight season.
The Warriors will now wrap up their season on the road with a game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday, February 9. Puck drop from Thunder Bay is slated for 7pm.
Notes: Before the contest, the Warriors honoured their nine graduating seniors, including Moffat, Fife, Morrison, Eric Cimino (London/), Ryan Hanes (Kanata/), Eric Diodati (Niagara Falls/), Mitch Elliot (Prince George/), Adam Bignell (Kitchener/), and Mitchell Smith (Plainfield/)…The Golden Hawks were awarded the first-ever Battle of Waterloo trophy, as champions of the season-long inter-sport competition between the two Waterloo-based schools. Laurier won the competition with an 11-4-4 record against the Warriors across all games in soccer, rugby, baseball, football, hockey, and basketball in the 2017-18 season.
