WESTLOCK - Three-straight second-period powerplay goals spelled disaster for the Westlock Senior Warriors in a 5-3 Oct. 29 home defeat to the Morinville Kings.
The loss, the second on Rotary Spirit Centre (RSC) ice for the club in their young North Central Alberta Hockey League season, drops them to 2-2-0-0 (including a forfeit win over the now-defunct Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs) with their next game now slated for Nov. 12 when they’ll hit the road to face the league-leading Camrose Crush who sit at 5-0-0-0.
The Kings, who now stand with a 3-1-0-0 record, drew first blood just over three minutes into the contest, but a goal from Taylor Heck with 2:34 left in the frame evened the score heading into the second.
While the Warriors started to carry the play early in the middle frame, the deadly Morinville powerplay struck for three-straight goals in a span of 4:44 to give the Kings what turned out to be an insurmountable 4-1 advantage. A goal from Austin Grundner with 5:10 left in the second managed to cut the deficit in half, while a marker from Jake Chizma just over halfway through the third period got them to within one, before Morinville got the insurance marker with 4:55 to play. Goalie Jordan Brand, who made his first start of the year, turned aside 37 of the 42 shots he faced, while Grundner, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, was named second star of the game.
Although captain Mike Ivey didn’t like all the calls that went against them that night, he admitted they can’t give a talented club like the Kings that many powerplays and expect to win. On the night, Morinville went 3-7 with the man advantage, while the Warriors went 0-4 on the powerplay.
“There were a couple of tough calls that didn’t go our way, but we can’t blame the officiating. They have a good powerplay and they capitalized when they had their chances and that probably was the story of the game,” said Ivey. “I think at times we controlled the game and had our chances but we just couldn’t bury them. In the second before the five-minute penalty was called, I think we were coming on and that just sunk us.”
Fort Sask folds
Mid last week the NHCL announced that the Chiefs had shut down operations for 2022-2023 after icing only 11 skaters in two of their first three games, while cancelling their home opener versus the Warriors back on Oct. 15 due to a flu outbreak.
Chiefs general manager Scott Chartrand informed NCHL president Jerry Muise of the news saying in part, "it is not fair to all the other teams in the league to be coming into their barns with 11 players and not being competitive. 13-2 and 16-1 scores are not conducive to running a good program,” said Scott, adding " … there have been various reasons but it simply comes down to players’ commitment.”
Going forward, games that were scheduled against the Chiefs will now become a forfeit with teams getting the two points — as it stands the Chiefs were slated to face the Warriors Nov. 5 and will be credited with a 1-0 win.
Ivey said Oct. 30 that the news of the Chiefs demise was not only bad for the league, but for his club who’ve now had two weekends off at a time of the year when they’re trying to round into game shape.
“They hosted provincials last year so it’s pretty crazy that they won’t be able to field a team,” said Ivey. “But it sucks for us because now we have another weekend off so early in the year.”
Following their Nov. 12 road game in Camrose, the Warriors will return to the RSC Nov. 18 at 8:30 p.m. to face the Bonnyville Pontiacs, a club they beat 4-1 back on Oct. 23 in Bonnyville.
