The Saddle Lake Warriors gave the home crowd something to cheer about in the team’s match against the Vermilion Tigers last Sunday, with a come-from-behind victory that would give the team a mental boost in its final game to close the year.
“They worked hard,” said head coach Stan Olson of his team’s 7 – 5 win. The team, currently ranked seventh in the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League, has been showing improvement and getting closer to winning each game, he said. On Sunday night, the hard work and discipline paid off, with the team netting few penalties and scoring five goals in the final period to win over the fifth ranked Tigers. “Now they’re starting to mature.”
The Warriors would open the scoring less than a minute into the game with a goal from Gabriel Gardipy, followed by another unassisted goal from Darian Cardinal at 2:44 in the first period. However, the Wheat Kings followed with three goals of its own in the first and second period, to take the lead by 3 – 2 going into the third. The Tigers then widened the lead to 4 - 2 by putting in another goal at 14:46 in the third.
That’s when the scoring floodgates opened for the Warriors, with the team battling hard for the puck. Olson noted that the team was “self-motivated” to fight for the win, and the boys’ motivation paid off, with another goal from Cardinal. His goal seemed to energize the team, and they capitalized on that energy with another goal from Gardipy to tie the game at 4-4.
Despite the Tigers pushing back with a goal of its own, the Warriors’ steam carried them to the end, notching in three more goals, courtesy of Jared Cunningham, Justin Croft and Cardinal scoring his third and final of the game with 0:28 seconds left to go to put the nails in the coffin of the Tigers’ chances.
The team had traveled to Killam on Dec. 10 to take on the Wheat Kings but the boys were edged out of a win in that game. A gambit to pull the goalie and tie the game to 5 – 5 failed and the Wheat Kings would score an open-net goal to seal the win at 6-4.
“We’ve been getting really close,” goalie Matt Johnson said of the team’s chances at winning games, echoing Olson’s sentiments. Sunday night’s game showcased the fact that “we’ve been coming together a lot,” he said. A few core players have been added to the mix, and that has made a difference too. The coach has told the players, “You’ve got to peak for playoffs,” and Johnson said, “I think that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Olson notes that the team is still looking to add five more players to its lineup by Jan. 10 to bolster its chances for success in the playoffs. “We’ve just got to get our set 23 in place.”
