The Westlock Senior ‘AA’ Warriors’ championship hangover continues to drag on as the team now sits in fifth place of the North Division of the North Central Hockey League and are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs following a Saturday night road loss.
The defending NCHL champs took on the Bonnyville Pontiacs on Saturday, Dec. 12 where they fell 13-1 in what was the team’s fourth-straight defeat.
Coach Joe Kuhar said the Warriors failed to match the intensity brought by the division-leading Pontiacs.
“We had a tough time against a powerful team,” Kuhar said. “We never brought it and that was the bottom line.”
Kuhar added the team travelled to Bonnyville short a few players, which didn’t help their cause.
“That was a big part of it,” he said.
The Pontiacs found the score sheet early and often and scored five times on 15 shots put to Warriors starter Marcus Johnson to lead 5-0 at the intermission.
“They started right off the get go with the intensity and of course we just got outworked, totally,” Kuhar said.
“They were able to move the puck and make things happen and we were just not able to get the bounces that we needed to give us a little momentum.”
Bonnyville continued their dominance in the second frame adding two more even-strength goals and a power play marker to lead 8-0 after two.
A total of 62 penalty minutes were handed out in the middle frame including game misconducts to the Warriors’ Joshua Kaliel and the Pontiacs’ Ty Carey.
“There were just some skirmishes that took place and I think [it was] a little bit of Bonnyville trying to exert a little extra force being up a little bit,” Kuhar said.
“We were just standing up for ourselves is what really happened.”
In the final frame it was Karmen Ward who opened up the scoring on a goal assisted by Chris Brand to cut the lead to 8-1.
Bonnyville answered five times, including once shorthanded, to pad the lead to 13-1.
Kuhar said the game was one of many wakeup calls for his team as they look to reclaim a playoff spot.
“It’s a group of guys that aren’t used to losing and it takes a little effort and energy to get up for each of the games going forward,” he said.
“At the same time, looking at a playoffs spot, they have to be a little more hungry and come prepared to play a 60-minute game of hockey.”
The Warriors (4-7) return home to the Rotary Spirit Centre on Friday, Dec. 18 for their next matchup against the Edson Ice where they’ll look to put an end to their four-game skid.
