Westlock’s Senior AA Warriors have improved their record to 3-0 with a pair of wins last weekend.
They’re now tied for first place in the North Central Hockey League with the Barons — a team they defeated 10-5 last Friday in the Devon home opener, followed by a 6-4 win against the Rocky Rams in Westlock on Saturday night.
Coach Joe Kuhar said the team has set as a goal for itself a first-place finish in the league this season, followed by bringing the championship banner home to Westlock in the post-season.
Both efforts over the weekend showed the Warriors have what it takes to play and win against any team in the league.
Of the Friday game, Kuhar said it was a strong team effort with solid performances from Alex Belzevick (3 goals), Nathan Brown (4 points) and strong leadership from team captain Mike Ivey.
“It was an excellent outing for the Warriors and a whole team contribution,” he said. “The guys followed the game plan to a tee and clogged the middle of the ice up minimizing the Barons effectiveness.”
The Warriors struggled a bit more on Saturday, however, with two second-period game misconducts for fighting knocking Ivey and Belzevick out of commission for the rest of the game.
“We definitely played down to their level, for sure,” he said. “We tend to do that when we get up on a team, we seem to allow them to get back into the game a bit.”
After a 4-0 first period and a 1-1- second period, the Warriors struggled to hold on to their lead in the 3-1 third period. They did hold on, however, which is something Kuhar said speaks highly of the depth of talent on the team.
“That allowed the guys to step up a bit and take the play to the level we needed to get out of the game (with a win),” he said. “We have enough depth in our team that even with a couple key guys out, we’re able to sustain ourselves reasonably well.”
The Warriors will get a bit of a rest, with their next game scheduled for Friday, Nov. 7 at the Spirit Centre against Morinville, followed by a trip west to Edson on Nov. 8.
