Westlock Warriors midget hockey team over came a last period rally by Edson to win 6-4 on Sunday at the Rotary Spirit Center.
The first round of the two game provincial fixture was looking like a blowout by the end of the second period as the home side went into the break with a 5-1 lead.
In a dominant, and at times brutal, 10 minutes of play the Warriors killed a five-minute penalty and followed it up with two goals in quick succession.
“There was a couple of big hits and some little scrimmages and whatever, but cooler heads prevailed and the guys went back to playing hockey,” said coach Barry Brost
But the visitors weren’t done and fought back to make the final score respectable.
“The guys ran out of a little bit of gas and they picked up their play a little bit,” he said.
“The flu is going through our team right now, we had three of our guys down a little bit.
“With everything considered the guys played quite well, with the flu bug and the energy level this weekend.”
The Warriors take a two-goal lead into their second leg clash that is set for Edson on Thursday night.
