The Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team suffered a bump in the road to a playoff birth with a pair of heartbreaking 5-4 road losses this weekend.
The Warriors saw a comeback effort fall just short on Friday night, as the York Lions escaped with a one-goal victory. A night later, the Guelph Gryphons came out on top of a see-saw affair by the same final score.
The Warriors now sit in a tie with the Lakehead Thunderwolves for the eighth and final playoff spot in the OUA West division. But despite the weekend results, their 21 points still sees them just three points back of fifth-place Guelph, with three games to play.
York 5, Waterloo 4
In their first of two weekend contests, the Warriors fell behind early. After York's Reid Jackman and Waterloo's Markson Bechtold (Strathmore/Saskatoon Blades, WHL) traded early goals, the Lions scored twice in a span of 1:13 to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
Lions defenceman Ben Verrall added to the hosts' lead just over a minute into the second period, but the Warriors fought back from the three-goal deficit. First, Keigan Goetz (New Hamburg/Halfiax Mooseheads, QMJHL) ripped a wrister in off the far side goal post, before Jacob Cascagnette (Kitchener/Ottawa 67's, OHL) potted his second of the season just past the midway point. The Lions re-established their two-goal cushion with an Alex Mowbray power play goal, giving York a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.
Mitch Elliot (Prince George/Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL) scored just 46 seconds into the third period, setting up a wild finish. But despite their constant pressure, Waterloo couldn't find the equalizer – they outshot the Lions 19-9 in the third period, and 50-34 for the game. York goalie Mack Shields made 46 stops for the win, and Trevor Martin (Ardrossan/Calgary Hitmen, WHL) kicked aside 19 of 21 shots after taking over for Julian Sime (Mississauga/North Bay Battalion, OHL) in the first intermission. Goetz led the way with three points for the Warriors, while Andrerw Cordssen-David and Lee Dower (Conception Bay/Miramichi Timberwolves, MHL) added a pair of assists apiece.
Guelph 5, Waterloo 4
The Warriors dropped another nailbiter In a back-and-forth affair with the Gryphons on Saturday night. Waterloo scored the only goal of the opening period, when Nick Halagian (St. Catharines/Powell River Kings, BCHL) poked home a loose puck to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
But the second period saw a goal-scoring explosion, paced by the Guelph power play. Gryphons defenceman Justin Lemcke scored the first of his three goals on the night, knotting the game at 1-1 on a Guelph two-man-advantage. Cam Nicoll (Loretto/Newmarket Hurricanes, OJHL) restored Waterloo's lead three minutes later, but Lemcke potted two straight markers – including one on the power play – to give the Gryphons a 3-2 lead. After Michael Morgan (Scarborough/North York Rangers, OJHL) knotted things back up again for the Warriors, Marc Stevens' power play tally with 48 seconds left in nthe frame gave Guelph a 4-3 lead heading into the third period.
Scott Simmonds briefly extended the Guelph lead to 5-3, before Connor Cole (Kitchener/Kitchener Dutchmen, GOJHL) drew the Warriors back to within one with just over 10 minutes to play. But Waterloo couldn't buy the game-tying tally, and the Gryphons – who went 3-for-7 on the power play – claimed the victory.
Halagian finished the night with three points for the Warriors, while Martin turned aside 39 shots in defeat.
The Warriors will now return home for two of their final three games of the season, beginning next Friday night, February 1, against the Western Mustangs. Puck  drop from the Columbia Icefield Arena is scheduled for 7pm.
