The Westlock Tier 4 Midget Warriors overcame a slow start to the season to perform well in the playoffs, earning the consolation title in the 1660 Hockey League.
The Warriors shut down the Onoway Eagles in two straight games, winning by 4-1 on March 15 in Onoway before clinching the series with a 5-2 win at the Rotary Spirit Centre on March 17.
Coach Shane Boulerice said the team went into the series with a reserved optimism going into the series, given the Warriors’ bumpy start to the season.
“Onoway was second or third in the league coming in to it. We didn’t have very good luck with them all season,” he said. “I was pretty happy with that outcome.”
Despite having more losses than wins during the regular season — the Warriors finished with a 5-13-4 record — they were able to turn things around in the second half and start to put some wins on the board, even against teams that had given them trouble before.
“They’ve been coming along in the last couple of weeks and playing well,” Boulerice said. “We beat some pretty good teams and that’s how we got into the consolation final.”
He attributed the change to several factors, most significantly that the team simply built up some good team chemistry and really started working together. “As the year went on that’s basically what we practiced,” he said.
One full practice each week was devoted to playing as a team: working on positioning and developing their systems. All that hard work certainly paid off in the final series.
The March 15 game on Onoway started out with a bit of trouble for the Warriors, with the Eagles getting a 1-0 lead very early in the first period. If the Eagles were sensing weakness in their prey, though, they were to be sorely disappointed.
Not four minutes late, Cole Walker evened the score with an assist from Andrew Vandeligt, how clearly was looking to put some goal in the net himself. He scored two more goals for the Warriors before the period was through, with Scott Watson providing an assist for one of them and Walker helping out with both.
Vandeligt made it a hat trick with an unassisted power-play goal about five minutes into the second period to give the Warriors the 4-1 lead they would hold on to for the rest of the game. Tyson Pidsadowski was stalwart between the goalposts, turning away 38 out of 39 shots.
Back in Westlock on March 17, Walker and Vandeligt were a bit more reserved, with some of their teammates making all the noise.
The Warriors came out to an early lead with a goal from Jordan Boulerice, but went into the second tied 1-1. Steven Mayowski regained the lead with a five-on-three power-play goal about seven minutes in, before scoring an even-handed goal with two minutes left.
The third period began with the Warriors leading 3-2, before Jordan Boulerice scored on a power play and then Walker followed suit, clinching the series with the 5-2 win.
Dylan Geiger held up his end of the team’s defence, coming up with 30 saves.
Coach Boulerice said he expects the momentum the team has built over the last half of the season to continue into next year, with just three of the players finishing their minor hockey careers this year.
“I hope it does carry on for them,” he said. “If they all come back next year I think they’ll have a good start.”
