Through the first 60 minutes of their game against the Lakehead Thunderwolves, Keigan Goetz (New Hamburg/Halfiax Mooseheads, QMJHL) was a jack-of-all-trades – a spark-plug forward, an important penalty-killer, and even a responsible defenseman when he moved back to the undermanned blue line in the third period. But the role he filled at the end of the night was his most important: game-winning goal-scorer.
Goetz tipped home a deft feed from Cam Nicoll (Loretto/Newmarket Hurricanes, OJHL) late in the extra session, as the Warriors claimed a 6-5 victory in a wild overtime affair against the Thunderwolves on Thursday night at the Columbia Icefiend Arena.
Jack Scanlan (Penetanguishene/Stratford Warriors, GOJHL) notched his first career OUA hat trick in the victory, including two highlight-reel roof jobs in a frenetic second period. Nicoll, Markson Bechtold (Strathmore/Saskatoon Blades, WHL), and Zac Coulter (Owen Sound/Elmira Sugar Kings, GOJHL) all had two-assist nights for the hosts, while Alex Pawelczyk (Sterling Heights/Dalhousie University, U SPORTS) and Connor Cole (Kitchener/Kitchener Dutchmen, GOJHL) each added a goal apiece. Julian Sime (Mississauga/North Bay Battalion, OHL) made 40 saves in the win, as Waterloo (5-6-1) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Josh Laframboise scored twice and added an assist for Lakehead, and Tomas Soustal also found the scoresheet twice. Daniel Del Paggio, Kyle Auger, and Caleb Boman each registered a pair of helpers for the Wolves, while Nic Renyard made 17 saves in defeat – including a penalty shot stop in overtime.
The visitors were quicker out of the gate, earning six of the game's first seven shots. They also earned the game's first goal, as Jordan Larson beat Sime to make it 1-0 just under 9 minutes in. But the Warriors regained their footing as the period wore on, and Cole slid home the equalizer in the later stages of the opening frame.
With the score knotted at a modest 1-1 after 20 minutes, the game took a turn for the crazy in the middle stanza. First, Scanlan scored back-to-back beauties – one on his backhand, and one on his forehand – to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead. But after the Warriors were assessed two unrelated minors on the same play, Soustal cashed on the ensuing 5-on-3 advantage to make it 3-2 Waterloo.
Pawelczyk slammed one home on the power play to re-establish the two-goal Warriors advantage, but the Wolves erased it in just 33 seconds: first, Laframboise tipped in a point shot to make it 4-3, before Soustal went shelf to tie the game 4-4 after 40 minutes.
Scanlan gave the lead back to the hosts with his third of the night, a wrister that pinballed in past Renyard to complete the hat trick and out the Warriors up 5-4. But Laframboise's second of the night on the power play evened things up once again, as the rivals went to overtime knotted up at 5-5.
Early in the extra session, Nicoll earned a breakaway from the red line, only to be caught and hauled down by Del Paggio, giving the Warriors a penalty shot. But the captain was stymied by the left pad of Renyard, and the game continued.
Moments later though, off a defensive zone faceoff win, Goetz fended off a check and started a 3-on-2 breakout. Nicoll took a cross-ice pass off the boards from Nick Chyzowski (Kamloops/Kamloops Blazers, WHL), and feathered a centering feed for Goetz, who set off the celebrations with a tip past Renyard's outstretched pad.
The Warriors will now look to make it two wins in a row when they travel down the 401 for a meeting with the Windsor Lancers on Saturday, November 16. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 pm from the Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex.
