A 7-3 home win over the Stony Plain Predators Jan. 27 has strengthened the Westlock Atom ‘B’ Warriors’ hold on first place.
With the win, the Warriors sit on top of the Eberle Division in the 1660 Hockey League’s Atom Tier 4A with a record of 8-2-1 for 17 points.
The Warriors led the entire game, but had to overcome a determined Predators team in the second period to come out with the win in such commanding fashion.
“We had a good lead, but we let them back in in the second,” said assistant coach Hayden Watson. “In the third we got it back.”
In earning the win, Watson said the team played just like one, with no one player standing above the rest.
The Warriors got off to the races late in the first period, when Jonah Bennett scored unassisted at 15:27. Reid Schmidt scored with only 20 seconds left in the period to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Carsten Bergeron and Jonathan Servage had the assists.
In the second, Schmidt notched his second of the game at 9:26 to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Less than two minutes later, the Predators got on the board, cutting lead to 3-1. With just under five minutes to play, the Predators struck again, reducing the home side’s lead to 3-2 entering the third.
In that third period, Bergeron opened the scoring at 10:27, re-establishing his team’s two-goal cushion.
However, the Predators weren’t about to give up. They scored at 11:57 to cut the lead to 4-3, but that was as close as they would get.
Seth Fairholm scored at 15:11 to put the Warriors up 5-3, with assists from Bergeron and Servage.
Bennett got his hat trick goal at 16:23, while Abraham Properzi’s goal at 18:27, with an assist from Jaxson Snow, rounded out the scoring.
Up next for the Warriors is Feb. 2 home game against Warburg.
