Men's hockey earned a crucial point on Thursday night in Toronto in their battle with the Ryerson Rams at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, an arena that has not been friendly to the Warriors in years past.
Ryerson jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes but the Warriors battled their way back into the game starting with a beauty breakaway goal from
Markson Bechtold (Strathmore/Saskatoon Blades, WHL).
Nick Halagian (St. Catharines/Powell River Kings, BCHL) sprung Bechtold free after he jumped out of the box following a hooking penalty and Bechtold made a beautiful move to the forehand and firing it past a stretched out Garrett Forrest.
Down 2-1 into the third, Waterloo put all kinds of pressure on the Rams before they were rewarded as
Michael Morgan (Scarborough/North York Rangers, OJHL) potted the equalizer on a perfectly setup 2-on-1.
Owen Burnell (Caledonia/Hamilton Bulldogs, OHL) made slid the pass across to Morgan's forehand who wired it home to tie the games at two.
With under 40 seconds remaining, Jesse Barwell of the Rams got a glorious chance, stepping out from the corner but
Trevor Martin (Ardrossan/Calgary Hitmen, OHL) made a spectacular save to keep to send the game to overtime and secure an important point for the black and gold.
In the extra frame, Ryerson took just forty seconds to pick up the second point as Matt Mistele finished off a beautiful passing play to end the game.
The Warriors are now 9-11-2 on the season, just one point behind Laurier for the final playoff spot, with one game in hand.
Waterloo will take on Ryerson again on Saturday on home ice before a massive Battle of Waterloo at the Aud on Wednesday. Be sure to get your
tickets for that one as it will be must see OUA hockey!
