WESTLOCK – Any hope the Senior Warriors could extend their opening-round North Central Hockey League playoff series versus the Red Deer Rustlers was erased following a devastating 10-1 Feb. 8 loss at the Rotary Spirit Centre (RSC).
The defeat, the worst for the club in 2022-2023, is the only significant blemish on what was a good year for the Warriors who ended the regular season in fourth place with an 8-5-0-1 mark, but fell in three-straight to the fifth-place Rustlers, dropping Game 1 on Feb. 4 in Westlock by a score of 5-4 in OT, Game 2 in Penhold by a 7-3 count Feb. 5 and the 10-1 Wednesday-night drubbing.
Captain Mike Ivey was at a bit of a loss following the defeat, as the Warriors were only down 1-0 through the first period and held a 13-6 advantage on the shot clock before the wheels fell completely off their game over the final 40 minutes. In the third and already down 10-0, a goal from Jesse Morrison with 6:31 left was the club’s lone bright spot.
On the night, the Rustlers went four-for-seven with the man advantage, while the Warriors went zero-for-seven. Shot-wise, the Warriors threw 39 at the Rustlers’ keeper, while starter Chase Langdale was injured at the end of the first and was replaced by Jordan Duffy who gave up nine goals on 20 shots.
“It’s a disappointing way to end for sure and a little embarrassing to be honest, but it doesn’t sum up how close the series was and how closely we were matched. We had the hope that we could come back in the series and really wanted to give our fans a better final game to watch,” said Ivey.
“The first game in the series is what hurt for sure. We were up 4-1 in that game and we needed to be able to finish that one off. The Rustlers are a good team, but we just needed a bit of puck luck at the right time and that just didn’t happen for us. But that’s how playoff hockey goes.”
And despite the tough finish, Ivey knows it was a good year for the club and he’s already looking forward to the fall. He also threw out a heartfelt “thank you” to all their sponsors, volunteers and fans who’ve shown their support throughout the year.
“We’re proud of our season. I think we took some steps in the right direction and had a good regular season that could have been better as there’s a few games we would have liked to have back,” said Ivey. “We all love hockey and I think the guys are already looking forward to next year.”
NCHL coach of the year
Ivey received NCHL coach of the year honours in a short ceremony with league president Jerry Muise before the start of the Feb. 8 tilt versus and jokingly said “I’m lucky they gave out it before the game.”
Not one who’s big on personal accolades or the spotlight, Ivey said he was honoured to be selected and thanked his teammates.
“I’ve really enjoyed being a player-coach for the last number of years … I don’t how long it’s been because I’m getting old,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve got a good group and I’m really lucky to be working with them. And it was nice of the league to recognize me.”
