Maybe it was the carried-over momentum of a solid road win over a nationally-ranked team. Or maybe it was the boost from last year's leading scorer making his regular-season debut. Or perhaps, it was just a matter of a talented team starting to find their way.

Whatever the reason, the Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team is officially on a roll.

The Warriors made it three victories in a row with a pair of wins this weekend, toppling Lakehead 5-4 in a shootout Friday night before exploding for five third-period goals in a 6-2 win over York on Saturday.

Dan Walker (Sudbury, ON) returned to the lineup with a massive effort, scoring four times on the weekend - twice each against the Thunderwolves and Lions. The second-year forward led Waterloo with 8 goals and 17 points a season ago, and he picked up right where he left off alongside linemates Tate Popple (Brandon, MB/) and Jack Phibbs (Hagersville, ON). Veteran forwards Chase Campbell (Waterloo, ON) and Jacob Cascagnette (Kitchener, ON) also had three-point weekends, with Campbell adding the lone goal in Friday's shootout.

The Warriors entered their Friday night contest against Lakehead with some positive vibes, coming off their first win of the season against the nationally-ranked TMU Bold last weekend. In just his second shift of the season, Walker corralled a bouncing puck off the end boards and swatted it home past Wolves goalie Max Wright for an early Waterloo lead. A Tyler Jette goal midway through the period evened the score at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The Warriors reclaimed their lead early in the second with a pretty passing play when Cole Fraser (Quispamsis, NB) centered to Campbell, who slammed a one-timer home for a 2-1 lead. Walker extended the lead with his second of the game, as he deftly tipped a Jake Heerspink (Regina, SK) point shot past Wright for a power play marker and a 3-1 Waterloo lead. Josh Van Unen responded with a power play marker of his own later in the frame, to make it 3-2 after two periods.

The Van Unen goal seemed to ignite the visitors, but Warriors netminder Dan Murphy (Waterford, ON) held the fort early in the third. The game looked like it might be salted away when Connor Lovie (London, ON) scored a power play goal on a wrister from the point to make it 4-2 midway through the period, but some penalty troubles allowed Lakehead to crawl back even. First, Van Unen scored on a 5-on-3 advantage, and then Tyler Ho found the equalizer on a power play just 33 seconds later to make the score 4-4. Despite giving up the lead, Murphy's play ensured the Warriors would earn at least a point, as the Wolves outshot Waterloo 21-5 in the final 20 minutes.

A wild back-and-forth 3-on-3 overtime session solved nothing, despite the fact that each team registered 9 shots apiece. Wright made a sprawling save on Simon Rose (Renfrew, ON) to deny the Warriors victory, but Campbell rendered it a moot point in the shootout: after five consecutive saves, Campbell faked a shot and went to his forehand to slide home the winner.

Andrew Cordssen-David (Washington Crossing, PA) registered two helpers in the victory, while Lovie added an assist for a two-point night. Murphy played brilliantly throughout, turning aside 51 of 55 shots he faced.

Goaltender Julian Sime (Mississauga, ON) got the call the next night in York, and he continued Waterloo's strong play between the pipes. The Warriors once again earned the first goal of the game, when Cascagnette notched a power play tally to give Waterloo a 1-0 advantage after 20 minutes.

Brendan Browne equalized for the Lions on a sharp-angle shot in the first minute of the second period, but Sime and York tender Cole Ceci shut the doors for the rest of the middle frame – highlighted by a gorgeous glove stop from Sime, who sprawled to his left and snared a puck destined for the top shelf.

Heading into the third tied at 1-1, the Warriors erupted for their best period of the young season. First, Gavin Wood (Waterloo, ON) made an eye-popping move to generate a scoring chance and a scramble in front, allowing Cascagnette to find Fraser for a tap-in to make it 2-1. Then, Walker streaked down the left wing and let go a wicked wrister over Ceci's glove for a 3-1 lead, before Nolan Lee (Vancouver, BC) smacked home a loose puck to widen the Waterloo advantage. All told, it was three goals in a span of 1:59, and the Warriors led 4-1.

The Lions drew to within two goals with a David D'Agostino marker, but Fraser added an empty netter and Walker produced another outrageous wrister to make the final 6-2.

Sime made 27 saves in the victory, while Campbell and Wood each added a pair of assists. With their two victories on the weekend, Waterloo has now erased their 0-3 start and sit at 3-3 through six games of the season.

The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak on home ice this Friday, as they host the Laurier Golden Hawks for the season's first installment of the battle of Waterloo. On Saturday, the Warriors will make their third trip to the GTA in as many weeks, when they visit the Toronto Varsity Blues. Puck drop for both games is slated for 7pm