WESTLOCK - The Westlock Senior Warriors will face the North Central Hockey League’s President's Cup winner in the league semifinal series which begins this coming weekend.
The 5-8-0-1 Warriors will tangle with the Lacobme Generals, who finished atop the NCHL at 11-1-0-2 in a best-of-five series that starts Saturday, Feb. 26, in Lacombe. Game 2 will be played at the Rotary Spirit Centre Sunday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m., while Game 3 is slated for March 5 in Lacombe. Game 4, if necessary, will be at the RSC March 11, while Game 5 is penciled in for the following day, March 12, back in Lacombe.
Although Lacombe was far and away the class of the league during the regular season, Warriors captain Mike Ivey said they’re confident heading in, pointing to the fact that they were the only club to beat the Generals in regulation time this year, a 5-4 victory in Lacombe back on Dec. 4.
The Warriors also played the Generals tough in a 5-2 Jan. 21 home loss as the teams were tied 2-2 heading into the third period.
And while the Warriors had their share of ups and downs during the regular season, the playoffs have been an entirely different story for the club as they swept the Morinville Kings three straight in the opening round. During that series, which saw them outscore the Kings 19-11, the Warriors sported the league’s top powerplay, which hit at a gaudy 37.5 per cent clip, while their penalty kill was excellent and currently sits at second overall at 91.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, forward Kyle Dronyk was a one-man wrecking crew in the opening round, tallying seven goals and an assist to lead the club in scoring, while Ryan Nelles had a goal and six assists and Brett Kampjes chipped in with a goal and four apples. Between the pipes Jordan Brand has been solid this postseason, winning all three games while posting a .887 save percentage.
“We know they are going to come out hard. They’re a big, physical team with a strong goalie and good defence,” said Ivey Feb. 20, the day the semifinal series dates against the Generals were set. “We are really looking forward to a good battle of a series.”
In the other semifinal the second-place Camrose Crush, who finished at 11-3-0-0, face the Red Deer Rustlers, who ended the year in fourth at 9-4-0-1.
