It was a frustrating night for the Westlock Senior ‘AA’ Warriors on Saturday at the Rotary Spirit Centre, as they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Daysland Northstars.
The club’s second-straight defeat leaves them at 2-2 and in fourth place in the north division of the North Central Hockey League.
The game remained scoreless for the first period and most of the second, with Daysland finally breaking the drought with less than two minutes remaining.
During the third, the Northstars surged ahead with another three goals, including two powerplay goals.
Though Westlock had a number of scoring opportunities, Daysland’s goalie was unbeatable.
Westlock’s only goal came on the powerplay with just seven seconds left on the clock from Ryan Nelles, assisted by Mike Ivey.
The Warriors struggled in this match, as Daysland is a tough, physical team, noted coach Joe Kuhar.
“It seemed like we just were handcuffed all the time,” he said.
“Every opportunity we had the puck, we just couldn’t make anything of it.”
Although it was a frustrating game, the Warriors battled their way through, and kept up with their physical play, Kuhar said.
The Warriors have had a rough couple of weeks; although they got off to a good start with victories over Big Valley and Whitecourt, their last game ended in a 4-3 loss to Drayton Valley.
Their next game will be a difficult one, as they play the Morinville Kings on Friday, Nov. 13 at the Rotary Spirit Centre at 8:30 p.m.
The Warriors have not played Morinville this season. On the flip side, Morinville has had roughly the same record as Westlock so far, with two wins, two losses and one overtime loss.
“That will be a fun one. There’s the rivalry there, and we expect to continue to see it,” noted Kuhar.
On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Warriors travel to Rocky Mountain House to face the Rams. Rocky Mountain House is struggling this year with a 1-3-0 record in the NCHL, including a recent 10-2 loss to Morinville.
