If the Waterloo Warriors men's hockey team suffered any ill effects after a 68-day layoff, it sure didn't take them long to knock off the rust.
The Warriors erupted for five straight goals in the game's first 23 minutes, en route to a 6-4 victory over the division-leading Windsor Lancers on Friday night at the Columbia Icefield Arena in Waterloo.
The Warriors got goals from six different skaters, led by Jack Phibbs (Hagersville, ON/) – the rookie forward notched a three-point night, including his first career OUA goal. Tate Popple (Brandon, MB/), Chase Campbell (Waterloo, ON/), Dan Walker (Sudbury, ON/), and Andrew Cordssen-David (Washington Crossing, PA/) all registered a goal and an assist apiece, while David Radke (Orinda, CA/) also found twine for the Warriors. Jacob Cascagnette (Kitchener, ON/) and captain Connor Lovie (London, ON/) both chipped in with a pair of helpers each in Waterloo's highest offensive output of the season.
The win evened the Warriors' record at 5-5-0 on the season, as they commenced a final-month sprint towards the OUA postseason. For the Lancers, Mason Kohn scored twice in defeat, while Sean Olsen and Hunter Holmes added single tallies.
Julian Sime (Mississauga/North Bay Battalion, OHL) continued his outstanding season between the pipes for the Warriors, making 38 stops for the win. Dakota Lund-Cornish suffered the loss for Windsor, allowing 5 goals on 16 shots before being replaced early in the second period. Nathan Torchia took over and made 18 saves on 19 shots in his OUA debut.
The Warriors got on the board just over 6 minutes into the game – after a big penalty kill, a deflected point shot from Matt Benson (Surrey, BC/) pinballed in behind Lund-Cornish, right to a wide-open Popple for a 1-0 Waterloo lead. Chase Campbell (Waterloo, ON/) doubled the advantage when he carried the puck all the way around the net and back in front, where he beat the Windsor keeper on the short side. Then, before the end of the opening frame, Cordssen-David scored a power play marker with a wicked wrister from the top of the circle, making it 3-0 after 20 minutes.
The Warriors carried momentum into the second period, as Radke made it 4-0 when his shot ricocheted off Lund-Cornish's blocker, before flipping over and behind the keeper at the 1:31 mark. Then, just 35 seconds later, Walker zipped one through Lund-Cornish that gave Waterloo a 5-0 lead, and spelled the end of the night for the Windsor netminder.
The Warriors threatened to widen the advantage, but Torchia made some big stops to keep the Lancers in touch. Holmes and Olsen both scored to narrow the lead to 5-2, but Phibbs' power play marker just before the end of the period restored the four-goal advantage for Waterloo heading into the third.
Kohn scored twice in the final frame, including on a penalty shot that he drew on a shorthanded breakaway, but it was too little, too late for the Lancers, as the Warriors held on for a 6-4 victory.
The Warriors will now turn their attention to a huge home-and-home series with the Laurier Golden Hawks next week. Waterloo will host the first installment at the Columbia Icefield Arena on Thursday, February 17 at 7pm, before visiting the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex on Saturday, February 19.
