Ray and Sonnenburg win OUA major awards, named first-team all-stars
Two of the leaders on the Warriors men’s hockey team have been recognized for their strong 2010-11 campaigns.
Assistant captain Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) was named OUA west defenceman of the year for the second straight year. Sonnenburg was also named an OUA first-team all-star for the third straight year. The smooth skating, offensive defenceman has the ability to control the tempo of the game and make game changing plays for his Waterloo Warriors. He had six goals and 10 assists in 24 regular season games played.
Captain Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) was recognized as the OUA west most sportsmanlike player while joining Sonnenburg as an OUA west first-team all-star. This season marks the third straight year Ray has been honoured as a first-team all-star. The fast skating, skilled centreman had a remarkable season posting 27 points in just 19 games played. If it wasn’t for an early season injury and games missed due to the World University Games, Ray was on pace to lead the OUA in points.
Sonnenburg and Ray both missed four games with the Warriors playing for team Canada at the World University Games in Turkey. The duo came away with a bronze medal defeating Kazakhstan 3-1. Ray scored three goals throughout the tournament while Kyle Sonnenburg had five points (2g, 3a), including the third goal in a 3-1 bronze medal game victory.
Waterloo Warrior Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) was named West defenceman of the year. He played in 24 games for the Warriors, and his 6’2 frame adding presence by the net. Sonnenburg had an offensive touch with six goals on the season, including two on the powerplay, ranking him tied for second among West defencemen. His award also earned Sonnenburg a First Team All-Star nod for the third consecutive year.
Sonnenburg’s Waterloo teammate Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) was named West most sportsmanlike player, adding to his list of honours from last season’s MVP award. Ray topped Waterloo’s scoreboard with 27 points from nine goals and 18 assists in only 19 games this season. This is also Ray’s third straight year named to the First Team All-Star list.
2010-11 OUA WEST MEN'S HOCKEY MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
WEST MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
WEST ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Matt Abercrombie (Brock)
WEST DEFENCEMAN OF THE YEAR
Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo)
WEST GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR
Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
WEST MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Chris Ray (Waterloo)
WEST RANDY GREGG AWARD NOMINEE
Nathan Spaling (UOIT)
WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Clarke Singer (Western)
WEST FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
F - Chris Ray (Waterloo)
F - Jean-Michel Rizk (Laurier)
F – Matt Caria (Lakehead)
D – Tim Priamo (Guelph)
D - Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo)
G – Ryan Daniels (Laurier)
WEST SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
F – Thomas Kiriakou (Guelph)
F – Kevin Baker (Western)
F – Keaton Turkiewicz (Western)
D – Scott Aarssen (Western)
D - Jordan Smith (Lakehead)
G – Anthony Grieco (Western)
WEST ALL ROOKIE TEAM
F – Matt Abercrombie (Brock)
F – Steve Reese (Western)
F – Thomas Middup (Laurier)
D – Mike Quesnele (Lakehead)
D – Ken Peroff (Guelph)
G – Andrew Loverock (Guelph)
Hartigan named Pioneer Petroleums OUA athlete of the week
Keaton Hartigan has been named the OUA athlete of the week for his stellar week between the pipes for the men's hockey team. Hartigan posted back-to-back shutouts to lead his Warriors to a sweep over the Lakehead Thunderwolves in the first round of the OUA playoffs.
Third-year goaltender Keaton Hartigan registered back-to-back shutouts to lead his Waterloo Warriors to a sweep over the Lakehead Thunderwolves in OUA west quarter-final action. Hartigan was nothing short of spectacular in both games stopping all 62 shots faced. In the series opener, Hartigan made several key saves early on to keep the game scoreless. The Warriors would take the game by a score of 5-0 with Hartigan stopping all 27 shots. The second game of the series saw the Kitchener, Ont. native once again stand on his head stopping all 35 shots faced including 18 third period saves. Waterloo would add two late goals to blank Lakehead 3-0. Hartigan’s performance led to Lakehead's exit from the first round of playoffs for the first time in 10 years.
Hartigan posts second straight shut out; Warriors sweep T-Wolves
The Waterloo Warriors earned an opening season series sweep blanking the Lakehead Thunderwolves 3-0 on Friday night in Thunder Bay. Warriors goalie Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) posted his second straight shut out stopping all 35 shots faced while Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) had a two point game two lead their squad to victory.
After a convincing game one win over Lakehead on Wednesday evening at home, Waterloo knew game two would not be easy playing at the always rambunctious Fort William Gardens arena. The black and gold came out with a defensive game plan shutting down the top scorers on the T-Wolves.
Following a scoreless first period which saw Lakehead out shoot Waterloo 8-5, Waterloo got on the board scoring the all important first goal of the game. Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) picked up a rebound off the shot from Ray and fired it past Lakehead’s goalie Alex Dupuis. Dupuis stood on his head the remainder of the period to keep Waterloo’s lead at one.
The third period saw a flurry of action, with Lakehead dominating the Warriors but the T-Wolves were unable to solve Hartigan who was spectacular all game long. Ray scored a late third period goal sniping a short side shot over Dupuis and Cory Fraser (Pictou, N.S.) sealed the 3-0 victory with an empty netter.
The Warriors face the Western Mustangs in the OUA west semifinals starting on Thursday night in London at 7:30 pm. Game two is scheduled for Saturday, February 26 at the CIF Arena in Waterloo at 7:30 pm. If necessary, game three will go on Sunday, again in London at 7:30 pm.
Warriors split weekend games with Lakehead; teams to face-off in first round of playoffs
A rough-and-tumble battle against the Lakehead Thunderwolves saw the Warriors prevail in overtime by a score of 4-3, taking a valuable two points in the playoff race.
The Warriors opened the game with all the momentum, bolstered by the return of their captain Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.), assistant captain Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) and head coach Brian Bourque from Turkey, where they participated in the World University Games for team Canada. The team generated multiple chances early, but could not solve Lakehead goaltender Alex Dupuis.
Five minutes into the game, a giveaway by Waterloo resulted in Lakehead maintaining possession of the puck deep in the Warriors zone with Victor Anilane firing a shot on Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) who made a big save but let out the rebound to Anilane who made no mistake to put his team up by one.
The Warriors respond with strong puck possession play in the Lakehead end, with the line of Ray, Kyle Schwende (Kitchener, Ont.) and Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) cycling the puck effectively in the corner before Ray sent a pass straight to Schappert, who was waiting between the circles. Schappert snapped the shot rpast Dupuis, and the teams headed to the locker room tied at one.
The story of the game was the physicality, with both teams throwing their weight around with reckless abandon. In the second period, Warrior Thomas Cardiff (London, Ont.) threw a thunderous check along the boards that sent the arena into frenzy.
Midway through the second period, on a Lakehead powerplay, Jordan Smith fired a slapshot that eluded the screened Hartigan to put the Thunderwolves up by one. The celebration was short lived, however, as the Warriors respond immediately on the ensuing shift. Jarret Schnurr took the puck behind the Lakehead net and made a great behind-the-back pass out front to the waiting Tyler Moir, who one-timed it to knot the game at two’s.
The second period saw the Warriors hemmed in their own zone by the Lakehead offense as the team was outshot 15-6.
Not wanting a repeat of the second period, the Warriors came out in the third with a much more effective breakout scheme. That led to more pressure in the attacking zone which resulted in multiple chances on the doorstep. Dupuis was sharp, however, and made several scrambling stops on the goalmouth to keep the score tied.
With five minutes remaining in the game, the Warriors missed a defensive assignment, allowing Lakehead agitator Jadran Beljo to sneak in close. He took a pass from Andy Hyvarinen who was behind the Warriors' net and one-timed it for the lead.
As the minutes counted down, the Warriors were relentless in their forecheck, forcing several turnovers in the Lakehead end. Ray, taking the puck after a turnover, passed it across the crease to the waiting Cardiff who flipped it over the sprawled Dupuis to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the Warriors went to the powerplay after Lakehead took a slashing penalty. On the ensuing penalty, Schnurr set Kurt Thorner (St. Thomas, Ont.) up with a cross-crease one-timer past the reach of the defender. Thorner made no mistake and to pot the game winner for the Warriors.
The Warriors meet the Thunderwolves again Saturday night, and a win will secure home-ice advantage going into the playoffs.
Ray, Sonnenburg and Bourque win bronze with team Canada
The Canadian men’s hockey team claimed the bronze medal at the 25th Winter Universiade thanks to a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan, Sunday morning, at Cemal Gursel Arena. Warrior defenceman Kyle Sonnenburg scored the insurance marker for team Canada.
Ray scores twice in Canada win over South Korea
Captain of the Warriors Chris Ray scored twice to lead team Canada over South Korea by a score of 3-2 on Monday at the Winter Universiade games in Erzurum, Turkey. Canada outshot its opponent 61-16 but could only get three past goalkeeper Hyun Ho Hwang. University of Windsor goalie Jim Watt stopped 14 shots for the win.
Ray scored both of his goals early in the first period (only three minutes a part) including a short-handed marker which opened the scoring. Click here for IIHF game summary.
Canada finished with a 2-1-0 record in Pool B and will advance to the quarter-finals on Thursday, February 3 (opponent TBD).
Three game winning streak snapped by surging Lancers
The Warriors three game winning streak was snapped on Saturday evening as the Windsor Lancers downed Waterloo 3-1 for their fourth straight win.
The loss dropped Waterloo’s record to 14-9-0 while Windsor improved to 11-9-3 and sit three points back of the fourth place Warriors in the OUA west.
The Lancers opened the scoring as Dan Lombardi scored his second goal in as many nights to give the home team the 1-0 lead halfway through the first period.
Waterloo responded two minutes later as Blake Chartier (Winnipeg, Man.) scored to even the game at 1-1 after one period.
After a scoreless second period, the Lancers would take the lead for good two minutes into the final period as Kyle Tront scored his second of the season to make it 2-1. Matt McCready assisted on the goal.
Windsor would add one more on the empty net from Brett Vandehogen to make the final score 3-1.
Frank Dayus was solid in goal for the Lancers as he stopped 26 of 27 shots to earn the victory while Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, Sask.) allowed two goals on 32 shots.
The Warriors continue their four game road trip as they visit the Brock Badgers on January 26 in St. Catharines for a rare Wednesday evening game.
Ray, Sonnenburg crack Canadian FISU games roster
Men's hockey team captain Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) and assistant captain Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) have both made the Canadian FISU games roster. The pair who have both been CIS all-Canadians (Ray a second-team in 2009-10 and Sonnenburg a first-team in 2008-09) have been instrumental in the success of the Warriors this season.
Ray sits first in team scoring with 20 points (6g, 14 a) in just 12 games played. He has at least a point in each game played this season. Sonnenburg, the back bone of the Waterloo defence has been a force on the blue line and sits in fourth in team scoring with 16 points (6g, 10a).
Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.) was the third Warrior who tried out for the team but came up short despite a very strong camp. Head coach of the Warriors and General Manager of team Canada Brian Bourque was pleased with the effort of his three guys and all OUA players in attendance.
"First of all it is honour for these players to be invited to the camp. Our league contains over 400 players and 31 (4 goalies, 11 defencemen, 16 forwards) were invited to attend," commented Bourque. "As you can imagine the speed and quality of hockey was tremendous. Kyle, Chris, and Steve did an outstanding job representing the Warrior Hockey program on and off the ice."
Read the release by the CIS below regarding the complete roster and more about the FISU (World University) games held January 27 - February 6 in Denmark.
Warriors win 2nd straight game, beating the Badgers
The Warriors were victorious in their Think Pink game against the visiting Brock Badgers on Friday night. Forward Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) had two goals to lead the Warriors to victory while Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) stood tall to preserve the Warriors seventh win of the season.
Schappert put the Warriors on the board just a minute into the game from in close. Goaltender Hartigan, making his second start in as many games had to be sharp in the period as both teams exchanged multiple chances. In the ninth minute, he made two giant saves with his pads when a behind the net pass connected with the Brock forward in front who failed to jam it in. Waterloo was up 1-0 heading into the second period.
Brock came out with jump in the second, drawing two consecutive penalties for a 5-on-3 powerplay. On the powerplay, Brock threw everything they had on net but Hartigan was equal to the task making several big stops, including a point-blank stop off a one-timer.
Brock would equalize the game at one on a strange sequence in the seventh minute. With the team pressuring in the Warriors' end, the Warriors forward was unable to clear the puck at the blueline. The Brock defenceman Steve Miller held the puck and made an off-balance slapshot on net. The shot managed to elude everyone, including a surprised Hartigan as it went past his shoulder to find the top corner.
Early in the third period, Brock would move ahead 2-1 on a three-on-two as Badger Jordan Gignac picked up a rebound to put Brock in the lead 2-1.
Playing down by one seemed to energize the Warriors as they started to dominate puck possession. Midway through the period, Waterloo took advantage of a failed clearing attempt as Tyler Moir (Calgary, Alb.) picked off a sloppy pass and slid the puck over to Schappert who made no mistake putting it past Brock netminder Kurt Jory.
Just three minutes later, the Warriors would take advantage of a Brock give away. Defenceman Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.) picked off the astray pass and fired a shot on net with Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.) showing great poise to pick up the rebound and slide it over to line-mate Aaron Lewicki (Toronto, Ont.) who buried it over the diving Jory.
The Warriors defence was able to shut it down from there as the black and gold won their second straight game. Hartigan made 21 stops while his counterpart Jory had 24 saves on the night. The two wins propelled the Warriors to third place in the West Division with 14 points. They take on Ryerson next Friday and University of Toronto next Saturday, both at home.
Men's hockey fall to .500 with loss to Mustangs
11-08-2010
The Warriors lost their third game of the season to the Western Mustangs on Saturday night in London as the Warriors lost by a score of 5-3.
Three first period Mustang goals lifted Western to the victory, as the purple squad (8-0-1) remains undefeated at home with four straight wins. Waterloo goalie Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, Sask.) made 33 stops on the night while Anthony Grieco (Brampton, Ont.) stood tall for the Mustangs making 38 saves on 41 shots.
Jason Swit (Mississauga, Ont.) opened the scoring with his first goal of the season after receiving a beautiful pass from Geoff Killing (Embro, Ont.). Swit fired the shot past a screened Leclerc who was making his second straight start for the Warriors.
Steve Reese (Dorchester, Ont.) added to the Mustangs lead picking up a rebound goal on the powerplay; his fifth goal of the season. Kevin Baker (Georgetown, Ont.) would extend the lead midway through the first period notching his fifth goal of the year as he was sprung free on a breakaway and made no mistake firing the shot over the shoulder of Leclerc giving the Mustangs a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the second period.
The Mustangs got on the board once again early in the second period as hometown boy Adam McKee (London, Ont.) scored the fourth goal of the game for Western off a beautiful pass from Randy Hanagan (London, Ont.)
Waterloo would cut into the lead half way through the second period with Mike Veysey (Bedford, N.S.) putting one past Grieco for his first goal of the season on the backhand making the score 4-1 in favour of Western.
Western would deflate any hope of Waterloo mounting a comeback as Aaron Snow would put in his sixth goal of the season. Waterloo would add two late goals off the stick of Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.), his sixth of the season and Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.), his third but it was too little too late as Waterloo would fall to .500 on the season and now sit tied for fourth place with Guelph in the OUA west division.
Waterloo (5-5-0) take on cross-town rivals Laurier Golden Hawks on Thursday night at the Waterloo Recreation Complex and return home for a match up with the Brock Badgers on Friday, November 12 at 7:30 pm as part of Think Pink weekend at Waterloo.
Warriors score 4 unanswered goals to defeat Lions
11-06-2010
The Warrior men's hockey team scored four unanswered goals on Friday evening to defeat the York Lions 4-1. Rookie netminder Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, Sask.) remain undefeated on the season (3-0) stopping 24 of 25 shots faced. York goalie David Blair (Ajax, Ont.) stopped 24 of 28 shots in the loss.
The Lions opened the scoring in the first period as Chad Hohmann (Salmon Arm, B.C.) ripped a shot from the high slot past Leclerc. The play was set up beautifully by Rob Labute (Toronto, Ont.) who found Hohmann wide open. Adam Stuart of Calgary picked up the second assist. York showed some good penalty killing skills as they would kill off a Warrior 5 on 3 power play and head into the locker room up by one.
The Warriors found their legs in the second and evened the game up just over one minute into the period as Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) picked up a rebound and slipped it past Blair on the backhand for his second goal of the season.
Kurt Thorner (St. Thomas, Ont.) would put Waterloo up 2-1 seven minutes later on the penalty kill. Mike Veysey (Bedford, N.S.) chipped the puck past the Lions defender and slid a beautiful pass over to Thorner who made no mistake to put the Warriors in front.
Waterloo would add to their lead two minutes later as captain Chris Ray (Kelowna, B.C.) who made his return to the line up after missing the last five games scored his third goal of the season on the power play. After some nice puck movement, Ray fired a shot from the slot and the puck found its way through the screen past Blair to give Waterloo a 3-1 lead.
Waterloo played sound defence in the third shutting down the Lions and added a late goal with only six seconds left on the power play . Defenceman Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.) fed a nice pass from behind the net out front to Aaron Lewicki (Toronto, Ont.) who made no mistake to give Waterloo the 4-1 victory.
Waterloo (5-4-0) travel to London today to take on the undefeated Western Mustangs at the Thompson Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm.
Warriors earn crucial overtime victory over Lancers
10-31-2010
The Warriors erased the memory of a lopsided loss to the Western Mustangs a night ago by defeating the Windsor Lancers 2-1 in a shootout on Saturday afternoon.
It was a tight checking, heated affair as the two teams met for the first time since Windsor knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs in double overtime last year.
Danny Anger tallied early in the first period for Windsor on a nice passing play from Kyle Nishizaki and Kyle Makaric.
That was the last of the scoring until the third period when the Warriors tied the game up at the 14:26 mark of the period. Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) took a pass from Kyle MacDonald (Inverness, N.S.) and Tyler Moir (Calgary. Alb.) for the goal.
Neither team could score in the overtime frame, as the game headed into a shootout to determine who would pick up the extra point.
Kurt Thorner (St. Thomas, Ont.) and Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.) were successful in their shootout attempts to give Waterloo the 2-1 shootout victory.
Lancer goaltender Jim Watt stood on his head facing 40 shots on the night, while Waterloo’s Justin Leclerc was equal to the task facing 30 shots of his own while stopping two of three Lancer shooters in the shootout.
Warriors shelled by Western Mustangs
10-31-2010
The Warriors were shelled by the Western Mustangs on Friday evening in London as they were handed a 8-1 loss.
Keaton Turkiewicz netted a hat trick to lead the Mustangs to victory as Western is now 3-0 at home on the young season.
Junior Kevin Baker earned a pair for Western and the remaining goals were scored by Kyle Lamb, Steve Reese and Chris Corbeil. Aaron Lewicki (Toronto, Ont.) scored the lone goal for the Warriors.
Turkiewicz opened the contest with a goal less than two minutes into play. Warriors’ goaltender Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) was searching for an open teammate when Turkiewicz challenged him and stripped him of the puck, counting his fourth goal of the season.
Lamb notched the Mustangs third goal, his fourth of the season, on the powerplay with three seconds left in the frame.
The Mustangs showed no sign of slowing down as the purple squad took it to the Warriors the remainder of the game firing pucks from all angles at Warrior goalie Keaton Haritgan.
Hartigan let in 8 goals on 36 shots in the loss. Mustang netminder Anthony Grieco stopped 31 of 32 shots to pick up his fourth win of the season.
The Warriors (3-4) will hope to redeem themselves from this disappointing loss as they travel to Windsor to face the Lancers in an afternoon matchup on Saturday.
Rookies Lift 'Bugs to 2-1 Win Over Mississippi
10/16/2010 5:32 PM
BOSSIER CITY, LA – Jeff Harvey made 32 saves and Shane Hart’s first professional goal was also the game-winner as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs edged the Mississippi RiverKings 2-1 Saturday night at the DeSoto Civic Center. The come-from-behind victory gave the ‘Bugs their second 2-0 start in the past three seasons.
Mississippi outshot Bossier-Shreveport 33-27 in the hard-fought battle, but Harvey was beaten only once as the Mudbugs got goals from Brett Smith and Shane Hart in the last two periods.
It appeared the teams would trade unsuccessful powerplays in a scoreless first period until Andrew Lackner’s buzzer-beating shot snuck through traffic and past Jeff Harvey for a powerplay goal with .4 seconds left in the period. That gave the ‘Kings a 1-0 advantage through 20 minutes after the Mudbugs missed on three powerplay chances.
That score remained for most of the second period despite three Mississippi powerplays and a full two minutes of 5-on-3 time for Bossier-Shreveport. The ‘Bugs finally tied the score with less than six minutes remaining when Steven Crampton fed a slot pass to Joe Blaznek, who rifled a shot that caromed off Brett Smith’s stick and into the top corner behind Larry Sterling. Michael Couch also faced Tyler Sheldrake in a second-period fight at the 3:19 mark.
The RiverKings generated 14 shots in the final stanza, but it was the Mudbugs who took the 2-1 advantage when Shane Hart received a pass from David Rutherford and danced into the slot before beating Sterling with a backhand shot at 6:58 for his first pro goal. Harvey made the lead hold up with a number of tough saves, most notably turning aside Matt Boyd’s five-hole attempt on a breakaway opportunity.
Harvey improves to 2-0 on the young season, while Larry Sterling falls to 0-1 despite 25 saves. The ‘Bugs finished 0-8 on the powerplay, compared with Mississippi’s 1 for 6 night on the man-advantage.
The Mudbugs will now have two days off before hosting the Tulsa Oilers Tuesday night at 6:35 pm at the CenturyTel Center. Season tickets, mini-plans and group tickets are currently on sale at the team office, so call 752-BUGS or visit www.mudbugshockey.com for more information.
WATERLOO, Ont. - First year goaltender Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, Sask.) picked up his first CIS win as the Warriors won the first edition of the 2010-11 battle of Waterloo 4-2 over the Laurier Golden Hawks.
Leclerc made 19 stops as he appeared calm and collected making timely saves. Waterloo picked up their third win of the season and second straight as part of Hockey Day in Waterloo at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
Veteran forward and role player Cory Fraser (Pictou, NS) opened the scoring just four minutes into the game sniping his first goal of the season past Laurier netminder Ryan Daniels. Fraser picked up the rebound off the shot of speedster Kyle MacDonald (Inverness, NS). Thomas Cardiff (London, Ont.) picked up the second assist.
Waterloo would take a 2-0 lead eight minutes later as Kirt Hill (Winnipeg. Man.) scored his second goal of the season. Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.) would add one of his two assists on the night. Following a Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, Man.) slashing penalty for the Warriors, Laurier cut the lead in half on the power play. Garrett Sinfield put home his first goal of the season with assists going to Phil Magistrale and Ryan Bellows.
Heading into the second period up 2-1, Waterloo would regain their two goal lead as Kurt Thorner (St. Thomas, Ont.) sniped his third of the season and now sits in fifth in OUA scoring with seven points. Assists were given to Schnurr and Steve Whitely (Petrolia, Ont.). The Hawks would not go away notching their second power play goal of the game as Ryan Bernardi put his second goal of the season past Leclerc.
Leclerc and the Warriors would settle down in the third stopping all seven shots to preserve the victory. Jarrett Schnurr would add an empty netter, his third point of the game and tenth on the young season. Schnurr (5g, 5a) now sits in first in OUA scoring tied with Luc Blain of Ottawa.
The Warriors (3-1-0) sit tied for first in the OUA west with Laurier who posts an identical record. Waterloo hosts a pair of games next weekend as they welcome York and Western to the CIF arena Friday, October 22 and Saturday October 23.
Schnurr scores twice to lift Warriors over Guelph in home opener
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Warriors were victorious in a see-saw battle with the Guelph Gryphons in their home opener on Friday evening at the Columbia Icefield Arena winning their second game of the season 5-4.
Tyler Moir scored the game winning goal with just over two minutes remaining picking up the rebound off a booming shot by Steve Whitely from the point. Moir battled for position and slid the backhand rebound past Gryphons netminder Cody St. Jacques who made 33 saves in the loss. Keaton Hartigan (2-1-0) started his third straight game and made 34 saves in the win.
The two teams exchanged goals in the first period with Kurt Thorner opening the scoring for the Warriors and Matt Lyall notching the equalizer three minutes later. The second saw the Warriors take the lead 32 seconds into the period off the stick of Waterloo athlete of the week Jarrett Schnurr, his third of the year. Captain Chris Ray added his second of the season on the power player to give Waterloo a 3-1 lead seven minutes after the Schnurr goal.
As coach Brian Bourque knows, no lead is ever safe at the CIF arena and the Gryphons proved just that. JT Macdonald cut the lead in half with his first of the season and Thomas Kirakou would complete the comeback scoring his second goal of the season to send the game into the third tied at three.
The third saw both teams fighting for every inch of the ice with hard hits and timely saves by the tenders. With Guelph’s forward Lyall in the box for slashing, Schnurr would put home his second of the game and fourth on the season to put Waterloo up 4-3. Schurr now sits in fifth in OUA scoring with seven points (4g, 3a).
After the Warriors got into penalty trouble Guelph continued to battle and found the equalizer with Michael Kusy scoring his first of the young season. Following minor penalties to both team’s Moir would pot the game winner playing four on four to give Waterloo their second win of the season.
Head coach Brian Bourque was honoured for his 100th CIS win prior to the game with his family and parents in attendance to celebrate his accomplishment.
The Warriors hit the ice again this evening as part of Hockey Day in Waterloo in the battle of Waterloo. Puck drop is set for 7:30 pm.
Warriors Split Opening Weekend
The Lakehead Thunderwolves downed the Warriors 7-3 in the backend of a double header with Waterloo at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay Saturday evening.
The first period saw Lakehead come out a little tentative as Waterloo controlled the play early and took the lead 4:15 into the opening frame on a goal from forward Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.). After the early Waterloo goal, the Thunderwolves settled down and after some nice stops by Warrior goalie Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.), Lakehead evened things up at 6:53 of the first on a goal by Andrew Wilkins (Pickering, ON) who found himself all alone in front of the net. Wilkins’ tally injected some new life into the Wolves and then Mike Quesnele (Sault St. Marie, ON) scored his third goal of the season at 8:20 of the first period to put the home team in front 2-1.
The Thunderwolves came out firing on all cylinders in the second, energized by a more involved crowd, and playing a much more physical brand of hockey. It took only 49 seconds for Kris Hogg (Sicamous, BC) to increase Lakehead’s lead to 3-1 on a nice wrist shot that careened off Hartigan’s glove and in. Lakehead padded its lead to 4-1 on the power play when Ryan McDonald (Prince Albert, SK) buried a rebound at 2:23 of the second, with assists going to Quesnele and Sergerie.
Jarrett Schnurr scored his second goal of the game for the visiting Warriors on the power play at 5:42 of the second period, cutting the Wolves lead to 4-2.
The third period saw Lakehead continue their physical play, making Waterloo work for every inch of ice. Mike Quesnele continued his hot start to the season, scoring his second goal of the game on a five-on-three power play at 6:22. Arron Alphonso (Orangeville, ON) scored his first goal of season at 9:10 of the third period on a laser wrist shot, putting the Thunderwolves up 6-2. The assist went to Trevor Gamache (Thunder Bay, ON). Brock McPherson (Brampton, ON) put the game well out of reach at 16:27 of the third period on a rocket one-timer. Chris Ray (Kelowna, BC) got one for Waterloo with 23 seconds left on the clock, but it was too little too late.
The Warriors (1-1-0) make their return home to prepare for their home opener on Friday, October 15 as they host the Guelph Gryphons (1-1-0). The game can be seen live on the SSN (Streaming Sports Network) Canada network. Click here to access the live feed during the game.
The Warrior men’s hockey team has been in good hands since head coach Brian Bourque took over the program in 2004-05. He has led his team to five straight playoff berths all with regular season records above .500. Bourque’s career record at Waterloo is a staggering 92-34-10, and he runs one of the most high-profile athletic programs on campus. Bourque was named 2009-10 OUA west coach of the year, his second time receiving this honour; he did so back in 2006-07.
The Warriors finished second in the competitive OUA west last season with a 20-7-1 regular season record. Before the season began, many varsity hockey outsiders thought the Warriors might be in tough to compete with OUA west powerhouses Laurier, Windsor, Western and Lakehead. After all, the turnover from the 2008-09 Warriors team was expansive. But before you knew it, the Warriors were once again in with the top class of the OUA west.
The black and gold would suffer a surprising defeat at the hands of the Windsor Lancers in the first round of OUA west playoff action. The Lancers downed the Warriors in the third and decisive game of the series in overtime after a back and forth game between the two teams. A disappointing end to what was a promising 2009-10 campaign for the Warriors.
The bitter taste of last season’s defeat has washed away and the Warriors can look forward to another strong 2010-11 campaign with one of the best recruiting classes in years. Defenceman Ryan Molle of Calgary, Alberta will be a key shutdown man for the Warriors this season. A seventh round pick of the New Jersey Devils, Molle played last season with the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the previous three seasons with the Swift Current Broncos (WHL). In total Ryan played 281 WHL games and scored seven goals, 39 assists, and added 303 penalty minutes.
Up front Waterloo has added power forward Tyler Moir of Calgary. Moir has had the advantage of spending last season learning the systems of the Warriors as he was forced to sit out due to playing with the University of Anchorage-Alaska in the NCAA in 2008-09. Moir played 36 games and scored one goal, eight assists while adding 20 penalty minutes.
Other key additions up front are Josh Schappert (Winnipeg, MB), Andy Smith (Rosetown, SK) and Blake Chartier (Winnipeg, MB). In net, the Warriors have added recruit Justin Leclerc (Saskatoon, SK) to help take some of the load off 2009-10 starting goalie Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, ON). Leclerc won gold as part of team Canada in the under 18 Junior World Cup. With the loss of key veterans Shane Hart, Mark Hartman and Ben Pasha the Warrior rookies will be called on in big game situations.
Returning to carry the Warriors up front is captain and OUA west most valuable player Chris Ray (Kelowna, BC) who was ninth in OUA scoring last season with 41 points (18g, 23a) in just 28 regular season games. Ray was also the recipient of a CIS second team all-Canadian honour. On the back end Warriors will look to OUA first team all-star Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, ON) to shut down the opponent and provide offensive output from the blue line. In net, Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, ON) will hope to find his 2009-10 form that earned him OUA first team all-star and CIS second team all-Canadian recognition.
The 2010-11 season looks promising for the young and talented Warrior squad. Brian Bourque as always remains calm and optimistic about his group of guys this season. “I’m excited to get the season started. With the addition of talented recruits that are ready to play at this level and key returning players we are looking to have a very strong year,” commented Bourque. “There will be a tremendous amount of competition at each practice as each guy competes to crack the game day line-up.” Bourque concluded by stating that each game will be as important as the next expecting many of the games to be decided by only one goal in the extremely competitive OUA west division.
The Warriors make their season debut on the road as they fly to Thunder Bay to take on the always tough Lakehead Thunderwolves in back to back games on Friday, Oct. 8 and Saturday, Oct. 9. Waterloo returns for their home opener on Friday, October 15 as they host the Guelph Gryphons.
Warriors Honoured at President's Reception
WATERLOO, Ont. - The Office of the President honoured the 2009-10 athlete-academic honour roll recipients on Thursday evening at the University of Waterloo.
The honour recognizes students who have maintained an average of 80% and higher while competing for an interuniversity sport.
This year, 138 athletes were honoured for their accomplishment which makes up 25% of the student-athlete population at uWaterloo. The 2009-10 athlete-academic honour roll saw a 13% increase in number of recipients compared to a year ago (123 recipients).
The proud athletes received their awards in front of their fellow teammates, influential professors, coaches and distinguished individuals at the University of Waterloo.
The top academic honours for the women went to Leanne Stuive (Beamsville, Ont.). Leanne is a fourth year student-athlete who competed in her first year of eligibility with the cross country team last season. Leanne studies operations research in the faculty of math.
Derek Hartman (Almonte, Ont.), a fourth year student earned top honours on the men’s side. Derek competed in his fourth year with the nordic ski team last season and excelled in his academics studying mechanical engineering.
http://www.varsity.uwaterloo.ca/news/2010/9/30/EV_0930102957.aspx - Link to be updated with a picture soon.
Hart signs with Bossier-Shreveport
Standout forward and recent graduate of the Warriors men’s hockey program Shane Hart (Guelph, Ont.) has recently signed with the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the CHL (Central Hockey League). Hart who completed his fifth year with the Warriors during the 2009-10 has been one of the team’s biggest contributors over his career.
A former member of the Guelph Storm, Hart who made his debut with the black and gold in 2005 instantly jelled with his Warrior teammates and coaching staff. His numbers over his five years with the Warriors are tough to argue with.
Hart is the second all-time Warriors point getter with 147 (57 g, 90 a) only 50 points behind all-time leader Steve Linsemen. His 90 assists is the third most out of any Warrior behind Linsemen (119) and John Wynne (106). Finally, Hart has laced up with the Warriors more than any other player in Waterloo hockey history playing in 130 regular season games. To add to his numerical stats, Hart also earned a OUA second team all-star spot for his 33 point season (13 g, 20 a) in 2006-07.
Shane has also won many Warrior team awards such as the Jim Nickleson Memorial Award as the top rookie in 2006, the Jim Nickleson Memorial Trophy as the top scorer in 2008 and the Robert E. Rafferty Trophy as the most valuable player in 2008 as voted by his teammates.
Although his accomplishments on the ice speak for itself, it’s his off-ice approach that has helped shape Shane into the player he is today. His love and passion for the game is like no other player head coach Brian Bourque has ever had the privilege of coaching. “Shane has been invaluable in the turn around of our program” commented Brian Bourque. “He competed every game and practice and deserves the opportunity he is getting. I am confident he will continue to find success at the professional level.”
Hart tributes his success to the Warriors for becoming the individual and hockey player he is today. Landing a contract with the CHL was no fluke for Hart who continues a prosperous career for a game that was simply instilled into the heart of Shane at a very young age.
The CHL will be playing its 19th season this fall. During the 2009-10 season, 15 teams played for the championship which ultimately went to the Rapid City Rush. The CHL saw close to two million fans attend games during the 2009-10 regular season and playoffs and has led North American professional ‘AA’ hockey leagues in average attendance regularly over the past nine seasons.
CHL Teams
Allen Americans, Arizona Sundogs, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, Colorado Eagles, Laredo Bucks, Mississippi RiverKings, Missouri Mavericks, Odessa Jackalopes, Rapid City Rush, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, Texas Brahmas, Tulsa Oilers, Wichita Thunder
The Warrior Hockey program is filled with pride and a rich tradition of combing excellence in athletics and excellence in academics. Over the past number of years there have been a number of steps taken to promote the heritage of the program. This has included tracking down team pictures from the 50+ years and hanging them in the team room, the writing of the ‘Warriors of Winter’ by Matt McGahey, displaying pictures in the CIF lobby of players that have gone onto play/coach professional hockey, handing team photos of championship teams, the creation of database website with a link to every former Warrior, and feature articles on alumni in Warrior Hockey and/or UW Athletics media.
The next step will be the creation of plaques to acknowledge Warriors that have been named OUA All-Stars, OUA Major Award winners, and CIS Major Award winners. These plaques will be displayed in the CIF. Of note we will be displaying individual pictures for Warriors that have been named CIS All-Canadians.
Below are links to three plaques we are going to create. I am asking that alumni take a few moments and look through the files and let me know of any errors/corrections etc. I will be sending them to be made on Aug 3rd so please let me know of corrections by the end of July.
OUA ALL-STAR PLAQUE
Click here for plaque
OUA MAJOR AWARDS PLAQUES
Click here for plaque
CIS MAJOR AWARD PLAQUES
Click here for plaque
Corrections should be sent to Head Coach Brian Bourque bbourque@uwaterloo.ca
The Warrior Hockey program has been built on team unity and the willingness to lose one’s identity for the team. A number of Warriors received recognition in year-end banquets for their performances during the 2009-10 season. Below is a list of the Award winners.
WARRIOR HOCKEY 2009-10 TEAM AWARDS
Jim Nickleson Memorial Trophy (Top Scorer) – Chris Ray
Robert E Rafferty Trophy (MVP) – Chris Ray
Bob McKillop Award (MIP) – Jarrett Schnurr
Warrior Coaches Award – Aaron Dileo
Heart Award – Kyle Pellerin
Jim Nickleson Memorial Award (Top Rookie) – Collin Carwardine
OUA WEST ALL-STARS
1st Team All-Star Forward – Chris Ray
1st Team All-Star Defenceman – Kyle Sonnenburg
1st Team All-Star Goalie – Keaton Hartigan
2nd Team All-Canadian Defenceman – Steve Whitely
Top Defenceman – Kyle Sonnenburg
Coach of the Year – Brian Bourque
OUA MAJOR AWARDS
1st Team All-Star Forward – Chris Ray
1st Team All-Star Defenceman – Kyle Sonnenburg
1st Team All-Star Goalie – Keaton Hartigan
Coach of the Year – Brian Bourque
CIS ALL-CANADIANS
2nd Team All-Candian Forward – Chris Ray
2nd Team All-Canadian Goalie – Keaton Hartigan
Chris and Keaton are only the 12th and 13th All-Canadians in the history of the program. Below is a list of former Warriors who have won CIS major awards or All-Candian distinction.
Joseph A Sullivan Award (CIS Player of the Year)
1995-96 John Wynne
1989-90 Mike Bishop
Clare Drake Award (Rookie of the Year)
No winners
RW Pugh Award (Most Sportsmanlike Player)
No winners
Dr. Randy Gregg Award (Outstanding Student-Athlete with Community Involvement)
1996-97 Mike Chambers
George Kehoe (Coach of the Year)
1989-90 Don Mckee
ALL-CANADIANS
2010 Chris Ray, 2nd Team Forward
2010 Keaton Hartigan, 2nd Team Goalie
2009 Kyle Sonneburg, 1st Team Defence
2007 Curtis Darling, 2nd Team Goalie
2001 Rob Maric, 1st Team Defence
1996 John Wynne, 1st Team Defence
1996 Mike Chambers, 1st Team Defence
1990 Mike Bishop, 1st Team Goalie
1989 Mike Bishop, 1st Team Goalie
1988 Mike Bishop, 1st Team Goalie
1980 Don Langlois, 2nd Team Forward
1978 Mike Zettel, 2nd Team Defence
1975 Ron Hawkshaw, 1st Team Forward
Lancers end Warriors season in 2OT
The Windsor Lancers scored in the second overtime in game three (best of three) Sunday afternoon to win 3-2 to advance in the OUA West playoffs.
After a scoreless first, Waterloo built a 2-0 in the second period on goals by Kurt Thorner (St, Thomas, Ont.) and Jarrett Schnurr (Waterloo, Ont.). However, the Lancers cut the lead in half late in the second on the powerplay and trailed by one heading onto the third.
In the third the Lancers would tie the game at 4:47. Both teams would have chances to take the lead throughout the period but Windsor goaltender Jim Watt and Waterloo netminder Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) both made key saves to send the game to sudden-death overtime.
In the first OT, both teams struggled to get any flow with the snow-covered ice surface, as there is no flood for the first 10 minutes overtime.
Early in in double overtime, the play picked up. Both teams would come close. As triple-overtime loomed, Windsor's Kyle Tront picked up the puck and skated up the left hand side and drilled a slap-shot in the top right corner of the net to send the Lancers to round two.
Shane hart scored twice and Keaton Hartigam made 47 saves as the Waterloo Warriors defeated the Lancers in Windsor 4-3 to force game three Sunday afternoon at the CIF Arena.
Waterloo 2 2 0 - 4
Windsor 1 2 0 - 3
1st Period-1, Waterloo, Ray 2 (Hart), 8:13. 2, Windsor, Nishizaki 1 (Anger, Todd), 8:45. 3, Waterloo, Sonnenburg 2 (Hart, Ray), 13:53 (pp).
Penalties-Oliphant Wsr (roughing), 1:24; Hill Wat (slashing), 3:26; Hill Wat (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 8:07; Oliphant Wsr (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 8:07; Reaume Wsr (inter. on goaltender), 8:07; Veysey Wat (too many men), 11:24; Thorburn Wsr (interference), 13:49.
2nd Period-4, Waterloo, Veysey 1 (Schwende, Fraser), 1:34. 5, Windsor, Gaynor 1 (Thorburn), 5:56. 6, Waterloo, Hart 1 (Pellerin, Pasha), 9:28. 7, Windsor, McCready 1 (Tront, Lang), 19:58.
Penalties-Pellerin Wat (inter. on goaltender), 18:55; Todd Wsr (cross checking), 18:55; Hart Wat (inter. on goaltender), 19:29.
3rd Period- No Scoring.
Penalties-Schwende Wat (tripping), 17:45.
Shots on Goal-Waterloo 14-16-10-40. Windsor 20-19-11-50.
Power Play Opportunities-Waterloo 1 of 5; Windsor 0 of 6.
Goalies-Waterloo, Hartigan 1-1-0 (50 shots-47 saves). Windsor, Watt 1-1-0 (40 shots-36 saves).
Lancers drop Waterloo in game one 4-2
The Windsor Lancers scores three times in the third period to take game one (best of three) over the Waterloo Warriors 4-2.
The Warriors opened the scoring in the first when Warrior captain Chris Ray(Kelowna, BC) beat Lancer netminder Jim Watt at 15:25. The Warriors would hold the 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
The Lancers would tie it up mid-way through period two when Kyle Tront scored his first of two on the evening. The lead was short-lived, however, as Kyle Sonnenburg (Waterloo, Ont.) would lift a back hand over Watt to give the Warriors the lead heading once again heading into the second intermission.
In the third, the Lancers would mount their comeback. Brett Oliphant scored on a knuckle-ball that fooled Warrior goaltender Keaton Hartigan (Kitchener, Ont.) to tie the game at 2-2. On the powerplay at 12:28, Tront would score the eventual winner netting his second of the night giving the Lancers their first lead of the game.
Waterloo continued to press for the equalizer but to no avail as Watt shut the door the rest of the way. Windsor scored into an empty net late to put game one into the books.
Waterloo out-shot Windsor 36-23. Game two is set for Friday night, February 17 in Windsor. Puck drops at 7:30pm.
Windsor 0 1 3 - 4
Waterloo 1 1 0 - 2
1st Period-1, Waterloo, Ray 1 (Whitely), 15:25.
Penalties-Ferry Wsr (tripping), 0:16; McCready Wsr (roughing), 2:32; Nishizaki Wsr (hooking), 2:36; Carwardine Wat (hooking), 5:44.
2nd Period-2, Windsor, Tront 1 (Sciacca), 10:05 (pp). 3, Waterloo, Sonnenburg 1 (Hart), 12:52.
Penalties-Schwende Wat (tripping), 3:28; Veysey Wat (inter. on goaltender), 8:33; Lang Wsr (tripping), 8:43; Hart Wat (slashing), 11:30.
3rd Period-4, Windsor, Oliphant 1 (Vandehogen), 1:17. 5, Windsor, Tront 2 (Gaynor, Lang), 12:28 (pp). 6, Windsor, Thorburn 1 19:56 (en).
Penalties-Vandehogen Wsr (boarding), 9:13; Hill Wat (high sticking), 11:07; Sciacca Wsr (slashing), 13:16.
Shots on Goal-Windsor 6-6-11-23. Waterloo 12-10-14-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Windsor 2 of 5; Waterloo 0 of 6.
Goalies-Windsor, Watt 1-0-0 (36 shots-34 saves). Waterloo, Hartigan 0-1-0 (22 shots-19 saves).
Warriors end season winning eight out of nine final games
The Waterloo Warriors had their impressive 8 game win streak snapped the final day of the season, by offering a rather unimpressive effort against a determined UOIT club Saturday February 13th in Oshawa. Despite jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, the Warriors fell 6-4 to the Ridgebacks. With the loss the Warriors were bumped from first into second place in the OUA West and guaranteeing themselves home ice through the first two rounds of the Queen’s Cup play-offs.
The Warriors are preparing in earnest as they begin the post season against the Windsor Lancers this Wednesday at the Icefield Arena. Despite the Lancers finishing near the bottom of the West division, the Warriors know that they cannot be taken lightly. In four meetings this season, the Warriors hold a 3-1 advantage; however all but one game have been decided by a single goal. Windsor is a disciplined team as they were the least penalized team in the OUA this season, and have a balanced offense complimented by solid goaltending.
The Warriors on the other hand, seem to have been peaking at the right time heading into play-offs. Since Christmas the Warriors have posted a 9-2 record and much of their success can be attributed to improved special teams play. The Warriors will lean on second year goaltender Keaton Hartigan to backstop the club through the post season and the coaching staff is expecting the team to continue to be one of the most physical teams in the OUA, while showcasing a balanced offense lead by Captain Chris Ray and fifth year players Mark Hartman and Shane Hart. On the back-end the Warriors are also dangerous with All-Canadian Kyle Sonnenburg and Steve Whitely who had a breakout offensive season.
Follow the Warriors as they head down the road to the Queen’s Cup in an attempt to return the oldest trophy in university hockey back to Waterloo for the first time in 14 seasons!
Warriors build on strong first half with thrilling victories over Laurier and Guelph
Waterloo’s next game action is Friday January 22 Vs. UOIT at the Columbia Icefield Arena 7:30pm, Saturday January 23 Vs. Guelph at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph 7:30pm
The Waterloo Warriors got back to business shortly after Christmas when they played two exhibition games against Windsor and Nipissing. Against Windsor, the Warriors suffered a 5-3 loss, while they rebounded against Nipissing posting an impressive 9-3 victory.
The Warriors returned to regular season play in early January as they played Laurier, Windsor and Guelph.
Vs. Laurier, W 5-4 OT
After shaking off the rust from the holiday season, it was time for the Warriors to get back to work on January 7th as the team made the short trip to the Waterloo Recreation Complex.
In a game that was controlled by Waterloo, start to finish, Laurier was able to keep things close with their deadly powerplay as they scored all four goals with the man advantage.
Laurier struck first in the game as Clinton Pettapiece scored halfway through the first period, however Waterloo’s Aaron Lewicki countered as he stole the puck on the penalty kill, went the length of the rink and beat a helpless Ryan Daniels with a well placed shot just under the crossbar.
Less than a minute later it was Cory Fraser’s turn to add to Daniels’ headache as he picked up Kyle Pellerin’s clearing attempt after vacating the penalty box and beat the Laurier goalie low blocker side to give the Warriors the lead.
The second period saw Waterloo open the floodgates as Steve Whitely beat Daniels from the point on the powerplay early on, assisting on the goal were Chris Ray and Kyle Sonnenburg. Two minutes later Waterloo’s Kirt Hill extended the lead to three as he completed a nice tic-tac-toe play from Jarret Schnurr and Matt deJong. After Hill’s goal, a visibly frustrated Daniels was replaced in favour of Jeff MacDougald.
It seemed that the goaltending change helped ignite Laurier as they added two powerplay goals to draw within one before the end of the period.
In the third it was all Laurier as Paul Bradley scored an impressive bad angle, short side powerplay marker to tie the game at four. The third period was marred by several after the whistle scrums resulting in 10 minute misconducts being handed out everywhere – to the delight of the nearly 500 fans, this illustrated that the rivalry between the two programs was alive and well!
In the extra frame – it was Waterloo’s Kirt Hill who was the hero of the day scoring his second goal of the night on what appeared to be a harmless, but well placed low wrist shot. Assisting on the game winner were Steve Whitely and Mark Hartman.
The good news for the Warriors was that they won the two points, however, Laurier still walked away with one point and as such remained one point ahead of Waterloo in the tight OUA West. The Battle of Waterloo resumes January 30th when Waterloo again visits the Waterloo Recreation Complex at 7:30pm.
Vs. Windsor, L 5-4
January 9th the Warriors travelled down the 401 to face the Windsor Lancers. Waterloo got off to another quick start in this game as Chris Ray countered Windsor’s early first period goal with one of his own. Assisting on Ray’s goal were Mark Hartman and Kyle Sonnenburg. Late in the first Ray added his second goal of the game to give Waterloo the lead – assisting on Waterloo’s second goal were Mark Hartman and Kyle Schwende.
The second period saw Windsor respond as they scored two unanswered goals to reclaim a 3-2 lead. In the third, it was Waterloo’s Kurt Thorner who drew the Warriors even, assisted by Luke Turcotte and Aaron Lewicki. Windsor countered with two goals of their own to reclaim a 5-3 lead. Late in the third, Waterloo’s Chris Ray completed his hat trick assisted by Steve Whitely and Kurt Throner. In the dying minutes Waterloo could not solve Windsor’s Jordan Watt after throwing 52 shots his way on the night.
Bourque, Singer to lead Canada’s men’s hockey team
2011 Winter Universiade
Dec. 14, 2009
OTTAWA (CIS) – Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Monday the appointment of Canada’s men’s hockey team personnel for the 25th Winter Universiade set for January 27 to February 6, 2011 in Erzurum, Turkey.
Brian Bourque of the Waterloo Warriors will serve as Team Canada’s general manager, while Western Ontario’s Clarke Singer has been named head coach. His assistants behind the bench are Concordia’s Kevin Figsby and Guelph’s Shawn Camp.
It will be a second tour of duty at the University Games for both Singer and Figsby, who served similar roles in 2005 at Innsbruck, Austria, where Canada finished fifth.
The Canadian squad for the Games will be comprised entirely of players from the Ontario University Athletics conference.
Since 1997, Canada has been represented at the Universiade men’s hockey tournament by selections from each of three CIS leagues on a rotating basis. Canada West players claimed bronze medals in 1997 (South Korea) and 2003 (Italy) and silver in 2009 in Harbin, China, where they dropped a 4-2 decision to Russia in the gold-medal final; OUA skaters won bronze in 1999 (Slovakia) before their fifth-place finish in 2005; Atlantic University Sport all-stars returned home with silver in 2001 (Poland) before winning the competition in 2007 in Turin, Italy.
Canada also won gold in 1991 in Sapporo, Japan, while represented by the senior national team, and in 1981 in Jaca, Spain, when the University of Alberta Golden Bears wore the Maple Leaf uniform.
“It is an honour and privilege to represent Canada, the University of Waterloo, OUA and CIS on the international hockey stage,” said Bourque. “I am excited to work with the coaching staff that we have assembled. I look forward to the competition and showcasing the talent of our student-athletes.”
“It will be a great honour to represent the CIS and OUA in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a world championship,” said Singer. “Our coaching staff is looking forward to putting together a team the country will be very proud of.”
Bourque, who joined the Warriors as an assistant coach in 2003 and was voted OUA coach of the year in 2005-06, is in his fifth season as bench boss at Waterloo, where he has registered an impressive 83-32-9 overall record since taking over the team. A native of Cole Harbour, N.S., he previously coached with the Dartmouth Midget AAA (NSMHL) program, York University and the Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) prior to joining the Warriors.
Singer is in his 11th season at the helm of the Mustangs. The native of Stratford, Ont., led Western to the University Cup national title in 2002, when he also earned CIS men’s hockey coach-of-the-year honours. Named as the OUA’s top coach four times, he has guided his troops to a pair of Queen’s Cup league banners (2005, 2009) and a return trip to the CIS gold-medal final last winter in Thunder Bay, where the Mustangs settled for silver. In addition to the 2005 Universiade, Singer’s international coaching experience includes three seasons in the Norwegian Elite Series with Trondheim and Fredrikstad from 1994 to 1997.
A resident of Baie d’Urfé, Que., Figsby is also in his 11th campaign as a CIS head coach, all at Concordia. Prior to joining the Stingers, he was head coach of the Quebec entry that captured bronze at the world under-17 championship in 1995. He also coached the OUA all-stars in games against the Canadian national junior team in 2000 (assistant) and 2001 (head coach). Figsby is one of less than 30 Canadian coaches to have completed a Canadian Hockey Association Level 4 certification.
Camp, from Ottawa, took over as head coach of the Gryphons in 2007. He made the move to university hockey following numerous seasons coaching and managing at the major junior level, including stints with Saginaw, Sarnia and Guelph, which he led to the OHL championship and a Memorial Cup appearance as head coach in 2003-04. He won a Memorial Cup ring as an assistant coach with Hull in 1997. Camp also coached Canada to a silver medal at the world under-18 championship in 2005 and a pair of Junior World Cup titles in 2004 and 2005.
Canada’s men’s hockey roster for the Erzurum Games will be announced in the fall of 2010.
For more information on the 2011 Winter Universiade, visit: http://www.universiadeerzurum.org/en
TEAM CANADA MEN’S HOCKEY STAFF 2011 UNIVERSIADE
General manager: Brian Bourque, Waterloo
Head coach: Clarke Singer, Western
Assistant coach:Kevin Figsby, Concordia
Assistant coach: Shawn Camp, Guelph
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca.
Warriors enter Christmas break on a high note with a win over Windsor
Windsor 0 At Waterloo 4
Friday December 5th saw the Warriors suit up to play divisional rival Windsor in a rare afternoon game for their final match of 2009. Present at the game were many of the Warriors family members as the team was hosting its annual parents weekend.
The Warriors did not disappoint their family members, despite a sluggish first period. John Zelenbaba made his third start of the season in the Warrior net and made several key stops to keep the game scoreless. The Warriors responded with a livelier effort in the second and were rewarded as Kurt Thorner notched his fourth goal of the season, and eventual game winner after he beat Windsor’s Jim Watt. Assisting on the play were Shane Hart and Mark Hartman. The Warriors earned a little breathing room late in the period when Mark Hartman scored, assisted by Jarrett Schnurr and Chris Ray.
Despite the 2 goal lead going into the third, the Warriors would be without Kurt Thorner as he was injured late in the period and forced to leave the game. In the third the Warriors added to their lead as Shane Hart scored eight minutes in assisted by Cory Fraser and Steve Whitely. The Lancer s would not go quietly though as they blasted 18 shots that the Waterloo net, however Zelenbaba continued to frustrate the Windsor shooters. Kyle Schwende put the game on ice late in the period as he drifted a wrister into the empty Windsor net, assisted again by Fraser and Whitely to secure the 4-0 victory – earning John Zelenbaba his first OUA shut-out.
Warriors slay Lions, trampled by Mustangs in OUA week eight
Vs. York, W 6 – 4
Thursday November 26th saw the Warriors take to the road looking to avenge their 3-1 loss to the York Lions earlier this month. Despite several regulars for the Black and Gold relegated to the sidelines by injuries, many of the freshmen recruits stepped up in a big way.
It was the Lions who struck first on this night as Rob Labute scored on a goalmouth scramble where Warrior goalie, Keaton Hartigan, had little chance on the rebound. It did not take long before the Warriors responded on the powerplay; as Steve Whitely ripped a high and hard heater past David Davenport from the point. Assisting on Whitely’s goal were Chris Ray and Mark Hartman.
With the score tied at 1 a piece, the Warriors found themselves in a see-saw battle against a York team that was hungry for a win. Early in the second it was York scoring again to pull ahead by a goal before Kurt Thorner bulled his way to the net and shovelled the puck past Davenport to tie the game at 2. Halfway through the Period Shane Hart gave the Warriors their first lead of the evening as he converted a play set-up by Kirt Hill. The Warriors added another powerplay marker late in the period to take a commanding 4-2 lead courtesy of Aaron Lewicki and assisted by Steve Whitely and Jarrett Schnurr.
With the Warriors up by 2 at the start of the third period, it was all York as the Lions clawed their way back into the game on goals by Jesse Grespan and Cassidy Preston to knot the game at 4. However, the Warriors Kyle Schwende made no mistake when he stole the puck in the neutral zone and punctuated his breakaway opportunity with perfect puck placement, high over Davenport’s shoulder for the eventual game-winner, his second in as many games. The Warriors added an insurance goal late in the period as Mark Hartman finished a nice passing play made possible by Schwende and Chris Ray. With the win the Warriors improved their record to 10-4-1 and remained tied with Laurier for 3rd in the OUA West.
Vs Western, L 5-3
Saturday November 28th the Warriors held their annual Alumni Day, which saw several former Warriors return to the Icefield to participate in a friendly Black and Gold game before taking in the main event, a showdown with the Western Mustangs, with first place in the West hanging in the balance.
The Warriors came out of the gate determined and carried the play for most of the first period, however it was Western who capitalized on two Warrior gaffes in their own end to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the first.
In the second, the Warriors played with a little more desperation, which lead to Chris Ray’s beautiful breakaway goal while a man down on a feed from Shane Hart to draw the Warriors within one. Less than a minute later the Mustangs replied with a goal of their own as Yashar Farmanara beat Hartigan on the powerplay for a 3-1 lead after the second.
The third saw the Warriors continue to battle back as Kurt Thorner continued his consistent play at both ends of the ice and beat Keyvan Hunt just 5 seconds into the period to again draw the Warriors within one. Assisting on Thorner’s goal was freshman Kirt Hill. This was as close as the Warriors would get on this night as Western added two more third period goals, while Chris Ray replied late for the Warriors assisted by Kyle Sonnenburg and Steve Whitely.
The final score in the contest was 5-3 in favour of Western, despite the Warriors outshooting the Mustangs. Coach Bourque and his staff will be looking for more consistency on the back-end as they go into the final week of the first half. Up next for the Warriors are the Windsor Lancers on Saturday December 5th in a rare 2:00 PM matinee at the Columbia Icefield.
Warriors dominant in two road wins against OUA East opponents
Vs. Nipissing, W 1-0
November 20th and 21st saw the Warriors on the road for two games against OUA East opponents Nipissing and Ottawa, looking to keep pace with divisional leader in the West.
Friday night’s contest in North Bay against the expansion Nipissing Lakers was a great experience for the Warriors as it was a charged atmosphere with well over 2000 spectators in attendance at the Memorial Gardens.
From the first drop of the puck the Warriors controlled the tempo of the game and made quite an impression on many of the Laker faithful. To their credit, the Lakers did not play like a first year program. Their line-up boasts more than a handful of OHL grads and they have a staff of knowledgeable coaches, all of whom have experience at the professional level.
Despite the Warriors carrying the play, the Lakers kept the game deadlocked at 0 for most of the contest thanks to stellar goaltending by Kyle Cantlon, who frustrated the Warriors on several glorious opportunities.
At the other end of the ice, the Warriors Keaton Hartigan refused to be “outgoalied” making several timely saves, including numerous breakaway stops to keep the Warriors alive.
The lone goal in the game came early in the third period as Cory Fraser sent in a harmless looking dump on the Laker net, this was followed up by an excellent net drive by Jarrett Schnurr who got inside of his defender and bunted the bouncing puck past Cantlon.
The Warriors continued to press in the third and then played great team defense to preserve the victory. Of note was Warrior blueliner Greg Steffes, who blocked 5 shots in the game. For the second straight week Keaton Hartigan earned a shut-out in goal for the Warriors.
Following the game, many Warrior players and coaches were praised what the Nipissing program has accomplished over such a short period of time, especially with regards to the outstanding atmosphere and coverage that the OUA game receives in the North Bay community.
Follow this link for further coverage of the game:
http://www.nipissingu.ca/athletics/hockey/?item=news2
Vs. Ottawa, W 4-3
Saturday morning the Warriors boarded the bus and headed down highway 17 to face-off against the Ottawa Gee Gees. Ottawa was looking to avenge their loss earlier in the season at the hands of the Warriors. Waterloo was looking to keep pace in the West as Western, Laurier and Lakehead had all won their first game of the weekend against East opponents.
The first period saw the Warriors play with the same passion that had earned them a victory the night before, however they found themselves on the wrong end of the scoresheet after twenty minutes as the Gee Gees jumped out to a 2-0 lead despite being out-shot 14-10.
In the second, the Warriors evened the score on goals barely a minute apart. Scoring the Warriors first goal on the power play was Chris Ray, assisted by Mark Hartman and Kyle Sonnenburg. The second Warriors goal was a lesson in hard work. Cory Fraser jumped into the offensive zone hard on a Warrior dump-in while on the penalty kill. Fraser out-hustled the Ottawa defender and slid the puck into the slot, allowing Chris Ray to record his second goal of the night.
Ottawa clawed their way back on top, as Ryne Gove scored with eight minutes remaining to give the Gee Gees a 3-2 edge. Following some second intermission retooling, the Warriors responded admirably to the challenge at hand with Kyle Schwende scoring two goals on virtually identical rushes, beating Ottawa’s Riley Whitlock with hard wrist shots to the low blocker side. Assisting on both of Schwende’s goals were Mark Hartman and Chris Ray.
When the dust had settled, Ray lead Waterloo on the scoresheet with 4 points, Hartman had 3 and Schwende added 2 goals.
With the win Waterloo kept pace in the West and currently sits tied in third with Laurier at 19 points each. Western leads the West with 22 points and Lakehead sits in second with 20.
Up next for the Warriors is a return engagement with the York Lions on Thursday November 26th at 7:00 PM at the York University Ice Gardens, followed by Alumni Day Saturday November 28 when the Warriors host division leading Western Mustangs at 7:30 at the Columbia Icefield.
Warriors split with OUA East teams in week six action, slip to third in OUA West
Vs. Concordia, W 2-0
Friday nights victory against the Concordia Stingers marked two firsts for Warrior players. In a rare match-up against OUA East opponents, Aaron Lewicki made his debut in the Black and Gold, while Keaton Hartigan recorded his first career shutout in OUA/CIS competition.
Lewicki was clearly excited after having been confined to the stands for the first 3 months of the season while he waited to become eligible. For the past two seasons Lewicki played for Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, prior to those three seasons in the OHL. When coach Bourque recruited Lewicki, he had hoped that he would bring a spark to the team. Friday night that spark was there as Lewicki showcased his speed at centre, hit everything that moved and even chipped in with an assist.
Hartigan was stellar in net for the Warriors, as he stopped all 37 Concordia shots. Earlier this season, Hartigan was honoured as the Blackberry CIS Athlete of the Week for his outstanding efforts in week one of the season. Five weeks later, Hartigan has kept up his consistent play through every game he has started this season. A tireless worker on and off then ice, Hartigan didn’t have much time to savour the moment as he was already preparing for Saturday nights match-up against McGill.
The Warriors scored the their first goal mid-way through the first on the powerplay as Shane Hart beat Concordia’s Maxime Joyal, assisting ion the play were Steve Whitely and Aaron Lewicki. The second Warrior goal came early in the third period as Kyle Schwende drove the wing on a feed from Chris Ray and Mark Hartman and beat Joyal with a hard low wrister.
Vs. McGill, L 6-4
Saturday evening saw the Warriors play host to the visiting McGill Redmen. McGill was just coming off their first regulation loss of the season courtesy of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. If the Redmen had something to prove, they sure played like they did as the Warriors coaching staff surmised that McGill was the toughest opponent they had played to date this season.
McGill struck early, and often Saturday night as they drew first blood just three minutes in on a nifty passing play that caught the Warriors off guard. To punctuate the first McGill goal, Guillaume Doucet added a second just one minute later.
The Warriors replied less than one minute into the second period as Kyle Sonnenburg scored on a beautiful one-time shot with a man advantage, assisting on the goal were Shane Hart and Chris Ray. McGill replied by opening up a 4-1 lead by the end of the second with goals from Ben Gazdic and Ben Wright.
The third period was marred by several scrums after the whistle as the Warriors desperately tried to claw their way back into the game, however they were unable to take advantage on numerous power play opportunities. McGill scored again to increase their lead to 5-1, while the Warriors continued to press scoring two unanswered goals to close the gap to 5-3. Scoring his first goal as a Warrior was Kyle “Duke” MacDonald, assisted by Kyle Schwende, while Aaron Lewicki also recorded his first goal as a Warrior from Shane Hart and Aaron Dileo.
Yan Turcotte scored the sixth McGill goal at the seventeen minute mark before the pressing Warriors beat Hubert Morin for their final goal of the game by Chris Ray, set up by Shane Hart and Steve Whitely.
With the 6-4 loss the Warriors slipped to third place in the OUA West, tied with Laurier – one point out of second and three points out of first.
This weekend the Warriors are back on the road, heading east to face the Nipissing Lakers in their inaugural season in North Bay before heading south to Ottawa to play the Gee Gees on Saturday night.
Warriors drop two tight games in week 5 action, 2nd place in OUA West
Vs Western, L 3-2
Friday November 6th saw the #7 Warriors on the road visiting the Western Mustangs. The Warriors were looking to widen their lead in the OUA West Conference, however despite their best efforts the Mustangs hung on for a narrow victory.
The first period saw the Warriors jump out to an early 1-0 lead as Chris Ray converted a pretty passing play down low, fed by Kyle Sonnenburg. Sonnenburg, Waterloo’s All Canadian anchor on defense was playing in just his third game of the season after recovering from an early season injury. The Mustangs replied two minutes later to tie the game on the power play before opening up a 2-1 lead late in the period.
The second period saw plenty of fast paced action and hard hitting. The Warriors ended up shorthanded on the bench as Kyle Pellerin and Jarrett Schnurr both left the game with injuries. Waterloo was able to tie the game at two late in the period on a Kyle Schwende goal after he received a nice pass from Mike Veysey.
The third period saw the Warriors pressing and generating opportunity after opportunity without being able to beat Western’s Anthony Grieco. Eventually it was Western’s Keaton Turkiewicz who broke the deadlock in the game as he beat Waterloo’s Keaton Hartigan with a shot off the rush.
With the loss Waterloo falls to 6-2-1 on the season and out of first place into a tie for second with Lakehead.
Vs York, L 3-1
Looking to avenge their Friday night loss in London, Waterloo again was on the road in Toronto facing the York Lions. This game saw freshman forward Kyle MacDonald in his first OUA action as he returned from injury.
Against York, the Warriors must have felt like they were experiencing a case of déjà-vu, as for the second night in a row they faced a hot goaltender and had difficulty finding the back of the net.
York struck first in the opening frame as they took advantage of a power play opportunity to beat Warrior goalie John Zelenbaba. The Lions scored their second goal of the game on a goalmouth scramble mid-way through the second to build on their lead.
In the third period, the Warriors looked like they were finally putting things together as Chris Ray scored on a nifty pass from Shane Hart shorthanded. However with the Warriors pressing late, York’s Jesse Grespan intercepted the Warriors breakout pass and converted on the ensuing breakaway to seal the York victory.
With the loss the Warriors fall to 6-3-1 on the season and tied for Second place in the OUA West.
#10 Warriors sweep #4 Lakehead Thunderwolves in Week 4 of OUA action – Waterloo now in sole possession of 1st place in the West
Vs Lakehead, W 3-2
On Friday evening the Warriors were back in action on home ice as they looked to rebound from their first regulation loss of the season. Visiting the Icefield for a two game set were the #4 ranked Lakehead Thunderwolves.
The first period saw the Warriors playing uninspired hockey as they allowed themselves to be pushed around by the clearly more aggressive Thunderwolves. By the time the third period rolled around the Warriors found themselves down by two goals courtesy of Brock MacPherson and Dan Speer.
Despite their lacklustre performance over 40 minutes, the Warriors appeared more determined and desperate in the third. Just over a minute into the period, Mark Hartman got the Warriors on the board after he managed to get the puck past Lakehead goalie Kyle Moir in a goalmouth scramble, Kirt Hill assisted on the play. Five minutes later Kyle Pellerin, who just returned to the lineup after recovering from injury, tied the game with help from Cory Fraser. For the next six minutes it looked as though the game would go to overtime, as neither team was willing to give the other any opportunity to score.
However, as the Warriors took a penalty in the back half of the period it looked as if Lakehead would be given a chance to score the go-ahead-goal. In dramatic fashion, while on the penalty kill, Waterloo’s Kirt Hill stripped the Lakehead defenseman of the puck in the neutral zone, and rushed in all alone on Lakehead’s Moir. Hill calmly moved first to his right then sharply to his left before sliding the puck past the surprised goalie.
This was all the Warriors would need to beat the ‘Wolves despite several tense moments late in the third as Lakehead pulled Moir in favour of the extra attacker.
Vs Lakehead, W 3-1
Halloween night saw the Warriors treated to their second victory of the weekend as the Warriors controlled the game from start to finish. In the first period, both teams were evenly matched until Chris Ray converted a beautiful cross ice passing play via Jarrett Schnurr and Kyle Pellerin on the powerplay. Lakehead had several chances to draw even but were frustrated time and time again by Warrior goalkeeper Keaton Hartigan.
The second period saw no scoring on either side of the puck, although the intensity increased as both sides exchanged several big hits, which saw the Warriors initiating the physical play, finishing every check all over the ice.
The Warriors again got on the board early in the third thanks to a deceptive shot by Thomas Cardiff off the rush assisted by Aaron Dileo. Not long afterwards Cory Fraser extended the Warrior lead to 3 as he blasted a shot from the top of the circles past Moir, assisted by Kyle Schwende and Kyle Pellerin.
The Warriors survived a scare late in the game as Dan Speer finally was able to beat Keaton Hartigan. The Thunderwolves did not let up as they missed several glorious chances on an ensuing powerplay and then finally with Moir out of the net in favour of a sixth attacker.
The story of the game for the Warriors was the brilliant play of second year netminder Keaton Hartigan who made 39 saves. Also factoring into the Warriors victories was freshman Mike Veysey who battered the Thunderwolves with 24 hits in both games. With the sweep of Lakehead, the Warriors move into sole possession of first place in the OUA West.
Up next for the Warriors are two road games; Friday November 6th the Waterloo travels down the 401 to do battle against Western, before heading to Toronto to play York on Saturday evening.
Warriors split with Guelph and UOIT in week 3
Vs Guelph, W 4-2
Friday October 23nd saw the Guelph Gryphons make the short trip down the highway looking to pick up their first win of the season after dropping a narrow decision to Laurier the night before in a shoot-out. Friday’s games marked the debut of John Zelenbaba in net for the Warriors as he faced his former junior coach, Shawn Camp, who is now the bench boss of the Gryphons.
With a large crowd on hand for “Hockey School Appreciation Night”, the fans were treated to a very physical game from both teams. The Warriors matched Guelph very well in the physical aspect of the game; the Gryphons have a reputation as one of the hardest hitting teams in the league – and several huge hits were exchanged on both sides of the puck throughout the game.
It was the Gryphons who struck first on this night as JT MacDonald beat Zelenbaba just three and a half minutes in. Despite several good chances to score, the Warriors could not solve Guelph’s Scott VanBommel until late in the period. The equalizer for the Warriors came courtesy of a highlight reel rush by Steve Whitely, as he went end to end through all three Guelph defenders as Waterloo capitalized on a two man advantage with the assist going to Zelenbaba.
In the second period, the Warriors scored their second goal as Shane Hart tucked the puck right under the crossbar on VanBommel, assisting on the play were Mark Hartman and Chris Ray. The eventual game winning goal was scored by Kyle Schwende as he jumped off the bench to join the forecheck wiring a shot just inside the left post. Assisting on Schwende’s effort was Kurt Thorner.
Guelph gave Waterloo a brief scare in the third as they continued to throw everything at the net, Cale Jeffries drew the Gryphons within one goal midway through the frame. Some solid defensive play by the Warriors late in the game helped preserve the win as Guelph had a couple of good chances to force overtime with the goalie out for the extra attacker. Mark Hartman sealed the Gryphons fate on this night with an empty net goal, assisted by Chris ray and Kurt Thorner.
With the win, the warriors moved to 4-0-0-1 on the season for a share of first place in the OUA West.
Vs UOIT, L 4-2
Saturday October 24th the Warriors were on the road in Oshawa to play the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks, and it proved to be a dogfight, start to finish. The Ridgebacks were looking for their first regulation win against the #10 ranked Warriors and they came out hard.
After a scoreless first period it was the Ridgebacks who jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second while Waterloo gave their best effort firing 17 shots at Jason Guy before Mark Hartman found the back of the net on a brilliant power play goal from Steve Whitely and Jarrett Schnurr.
The third period saw Waterloo again frustrated by the solid play in the UOIT net by Guy as they failed to capitalize on the power play and a couple of break-aways. With five minutes to go in the period UOIT added a fourth goal, however the Warriors did not give up, and Steve Whitely drew the Warriors within two on a pass from Cory Fraser. It was too little too late, as the Ridgebacks collected their first regulation win of the season.
The Warriors now have a record of 4-1-1 with 9 points in OUA play.
On deck for the Warriors are back to back games against conference rival and perennial OUA contender Lakehead University Thunderwolves. Both games will take place at the Columbia Icefield at 7:30 Friday October 30th and Saturday October 31st.
Warriors move to 3-0-1 after two thrilling overtime games
Vs Laurier, 5-4 W
The Waterloo Warriors kicked off week two of the OUA season with what turned out to be a thrilling match against cross-town rival Wilfrid Laurier. In attendance for the “Battle of Waterloo” was former Warrior Captain, CIS Player of the year and All-Canadian John Wynne as well as Warrior Alumnus Mike Payne.
Waterloo entered the game tied for top spot in the West, boasting a 2-0 record, got off to a slow start as the Warriors could not solve Golden Hawks rookie netminder Ryan Daniels in the first two periods.
The good news for the Warriors was that headed into the final period they were only down one goal thanks to Laurier Captain J.M. Rizk. In the third period the Warriors came to life playing inspired hockey. Three minutes in, Kurt Thorner scored the Warriors first goal of the game with help from Jarrett Schnurr and Thomas Cardiff. The turning point in the game for the Warriors came just three minutes later when Thorner was sprung for a breakaway and hauled down by a Laurier defender. As a result, Thorner was awarded a penalty shot, however, due to an injury sustained on the play, Waterloo defenseman Steve Whitely was given the honours. The result was the Warriors second goal of the game as Whitely faked out Daniels with a nifty, change-up deke.
At the eight minute mark, Laurier drew even with Waterloo on Rizk’s second goal of the evening before Waterloo countered two minutes later on a Cory Fraser tally (Schnurr). With five minutes to go in the game Laurier drew even on a Paul Bradley goal and then regained a 4-3 lead on Jason Bergeron’s goal with just under two minutes to play.
Once again Waterloo rallied and Shane Hart gave the Warrior faithful something to cheer about with just over one minute to play as he tied the game at 4 with the help of Chris Ray. Two minutes into the extra frame, Steve Whitely made sure that the Waterloo fans would go home happy as he ended the “Battle of Waterloo” as he beat Daniels for the second time in the game with the assists going to Chris Ray and Shane Hart.
Keaton Hartigan was solid in net for the Warriors posting his third win of the season.
Boxscore:
Laurier 4 at Waterloo 5 (OT) - Status: Final OT
Oct 15, 2009 - Columbia Ice Field
Laurier 1 0 3 0 - 4
Waterloo 0 0 4 1 – 5
1st Period-1, Laurier, Rizk 2 18:58 (sh).
Penalties-Good Wlu (bench minor), 1:48; Wong Wat (tripping), 5:47; Hartman Wat (hooking), 15:42; Borrows Wlu (slashing), 17:34.
2nd Period- No Scoring.
Penalties-Ray Wat (hooking), 9:04; Schnurr Wat (high sticking), 11:38.
3rd Period-2, Waterloo, Thorner 1 (Schnurr, Cardiff), 3:09. 3, Waterloo, Whitely 1 6:10 (ps). 4, Laurier, Rizk 3 (Voakes, Magistrale), 8:13 (pp). 5, Waterloo, Fraser 2 (Schnurr), 10:45 (pp). 6, Laurier, Bradley 1 (Pettapiece, Bernardi), 15:43. 7, Laurier, Bergeron 1 (Rizk), 18:09. 8, Waterloo, Hart 2 (Ray), 18:48.
Penalties-Bonneville Wlu (hooking), 6:10; Wong Wat (interference), 7:03; Van De Bospoort Wlu (high sticking), 8:51; Bergeron Wlu (charging), 12:07.
OT Period-9, Waterloo, Whitely 2 (Hart, Ray), 2:14.
Shots on Goal-Laurier 7-12-12-0-31. Waterloo 4-8-15-1-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Laurier 1 of 5; Waterloo 1 of 4.
Goalies-Laurier, Daniels 1-0-1-0 (28 shots-23 saves). Waterloo, Hartigan 3-0-0-1 (31 shots-27 saves).
Vs Brock, 4-3 SOL
Less than 24 hours later, the Warriors took their undefeated record on the road to face-off against the Brock Badgers, who were also sporting a perfect 3-0 record. With several Warriors sidelined with the flu and injuries, the team dug deep, and matched the talented Badgers in all areas of the game.
It was, however, Brock who drew first blood on a goal by Derek Brochu who beat Waterloo’s Keaton Hartigan. The Warriors rallied to tie the game as a result of a well timed rush through the neutral zone, which freed up enough ice allowing Thomas Cardiff to grab his own rebound, assisting on the play were Mark Hartman and Jarrett Schnurr.
The second period saw Waterloo briefly gain the lead as Shane Hart punctuated some great puck movement with a power play goal, assisted by Aaron Dileo and Chris Ray. Five minutes later the Badgers replied to tie the game at 2 headed into the third period.
Early in the third, Shane Hart added his second goal of the game assisted by Mark Hartman for Waterloo to regain the lead. Late in the period it looked as if Waterloo would hang on for the win by the skin of their teeth. However, late pressure from the Badgers resulted in the tying goal with less than two minutes to go, despite goalie Keaton Hartigan’s best efforts.
Overtime saw both teams go back and forth exchanging several scoring chances, including Hart’s failed bid to complete the hat trick on a breakaway.
In the shootout, only one shooter was successful for the Badgers, which was all they would need to remain undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the OUA West. Waterloo earned a single point and sits tied for second in the OUA West with Lakehead and Laurier.
Boxscore
Waterloo 3 At Brock 4 (SO) - Status: Final SO
Oct 16, 2009 - Seymour-Hannah Centre
Waterloo 1 1 1 0 - 3
Brock 1 1 1 0 - 4
1st Period -1, Brock, Brochu 3 (Schram, Scott), 3:11. 2, Waterloo, Cardiff 1 (Hartman, Schnurr), 15:29.
Penalties-Veysey Wat (high sticking), 4:45; Dileo Wat (elbowing), 5:45.
2nd Period -3, Waterloo, Hart 3 (Dileo, Ray), 10:17 (pp). 4, Brock, Tolles 3 (Allen), 15:12.
Penalties-McNeil Bro (holding), 4:41; Wong Wat (hooking), 5:51; Bradley Bro (interference), 5:55; Miller Bro (roughing), 10:05; Veysey Wat (interference), 12:03; Miller Bro (holding), 12:23; Carwardine Wat (holding), 16:49.
3rd Period -5, Waterloo, Hart 4 (Hartman), 6:18. 6, Brock, Pattison 2 (Allen, Friesen), 18:35.
Penalties-Turcotte Wat (delay of game), 9:05; Brochu Bro (holding opp. stick), 9:33.
OT Period - No Scoring.
Penalties-Schram Bro (slashing), 4:01.
Shootout - Waterloo 0 (Hart NG, Ray NG, Whitely NG), Brock 1 (Allen G, Scott NG).
Shots on Goal-Waterloo 11-9-2-1-0-23. Brock 8-7-7-2-1-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Waterloo 1 of 6; Brock 0 of 6.
Goalies-Waterloo, Hartigan 3-0-0-1 (24 shots-21 saves). Brock, Yetman 4-0-0-0 (23 shots-20 saves).
Hartigan honoured as CIS Blackberry Athlete of the Week
Queen’s Conroy, Waterloo’s Hartigan honoured
OTTAWA (CIS) – Hockey players Becky Conroy of Queen’s and Keaton Hartigan of Waterloo are the BlackBerry Canadian Interuniversity Sport female and male athletes of the week for the period ending Oct. 11, 2009.
Conroy, a fourth-year accounting major from Pembroke, Ont., tallied three goals and five points over two games on Thanksgiving weekend as the No. 9-Gaels (2-0) opened the regular season with a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents. On Saturday, the 5-foot-2 forward scored twice, including the game-winner, in a 4-0 shutout of York, No. 8 in the CIS Top 10 going into the contest. On Sunday, Conroy scored the game-tying goal and set up the winner to cap off a three-point night in a 6-5 victory over Toronto, ranked ninth in the nation before the weekend.
St. Francis Xavier rugby player Ghislaine Landry, Laval rugby player Claudiane Renaud and Saskatchewan hockey player Breanne George were also nominated for the women’s award.
Hartigan, a second-year sociology student from Kitchener, Ont., stopped 78 of 83 shots fired at him to lead the Warriors to a 2-0 start in conference play. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound goaltender opened the schedule with a brilliant 46-save performance as Waterloo beat reigning OUA champion and CIS finalist Western 4-1, last Friday. He followed up on Saturday with a 32-save effort, including 11 in the third period, in a 5-4 road victory over Windsor.
UNB basketball player Alex DesRoches, McGill hockey player Simon Marcotte-Légaré and Alberta hockey player Reade Wolansky were the other male nominees.
Warriors impress with two victories in OUA opening weekend
Vs Western, 4-1 W; Vs Windsor, 5-4 W
The Waterloo Warriors began their quest for the Queen’s Cup this past Friday as they hosted the defending OUA champion Western Mustangs in their home opener. Despite it being Thanksgiving weekend, over 200 Warrior faithful showed up to catch their first glimpse of the 09-10 edition of the Warriors.
Like two heavyweight fighters trying to feel each other out in the first round of a boxing match, both Waterloo and Western tested each other exchanging several unsuccessful scoring chances as the period drew to a scoreless close.
The second period was not much different as the pace of the game quickened. Waterloo opened the scoring just over a minute into the second as Warrior freshman Kirt Hill (Hartman) notched his first career goal for the Warriors. Waterloo would not have long to enjoy their lead as less than 20 seconds later, Mustang defenseman Geoff Killing (McDonough), beat Warrior goalie Keaton Hartigan with a well placed shot off the rush. Jarret Schnurr (Sonnenburg) continued his torrid scoring pace from the pre-season when he broke the 1-1 tie and scored the eventual game winner. Kyle Sonnenburg hit the streaking Schnurr with a nifty pass through the neutral zone springing him for a partial breakaway before wrestling off a Mustang defender and beating goalie Keyvan Hunt.
In the third period, it was Schnurr again who bought the Warriors some insurance with his second goal of the game assisted by Hill and deJong, less than three minutes into the period. Despite several golden opportunities, the Mustangs could not solve Warrior goalie Keaton Hartigan, who was outstanding start to finish, turning away 46 shots. The Warriors put the game in the bag when Kyle Pellerin (Fraser) scored late in the period on the powerplay.
Following a successful home-opener, the Warriors hoped to build upon their Friday night victory as they visited Windsor Arena to do battle with the Lancers. Windsor came out of the gates hard as they were looking to avoid going 0-2 in their opening weekend after dropping a narrow 2-1 decision to Brock the night before.
It was Windsor who drew first blood on this night as Mark Thorburn (Lang, Vandehogen) scored his first of 2 goals halfway through the first on the powerplay. However, Waterloo’s Captain, Chris Ray would even the match at 1 with 10 seconds to go in the first on a shorthanded effort, assisted by Hart and Whitely.
Into the second period Waterloo picked up right where they had left off in the second and made the most of their opportunities, scoring three big second period goals in what would have appeared to be a replay from their Friday night victory against Western. Waterloo goal scorers in the second period were: Cory Fraser (Schnurr, Pellerin); Chris Ray (2nd) (Thorner, Wong) and Mark Hartman. However, it was Windsor’s powerplay that continued to click as Ryan Federman (Lang, Thorburn) beat Hartigan late in the second to draw Windsor within 2 goals headed into the third period.
The third period saw Waterloo increase its lead to 3, when Shane Hart (Turcotte) scored the Warriors final goal before the momentum shifted to the Lancers. Windsor replied with their third powerplay goal of the game less than four minutes into the frame – McCready (Ferry). Ten seconds later the Lancers shocked the Warriors when they drew within 1 on Scott Thorburn’s second goal. The Warriors hung on, for their second victory of the 09-10 season with a 5-4 victory.
Looking forward – The Warriors are next in action this Thursday, October 15, 7:30 at the Columbia Icefield Arena in the ‘Battle of Waterloo’ when they host cross-town rival Lauier. The following night the Warriors are on the road in Brock (October 16, 7:35).
Warriors Wrap-up 2009 Pre-season 2-2
Vs Colgate, 6-3 L
The Warriors wrapped up their 4 game pre-season road swing in Hamilton, New York when they laced up against the Colgate Raiders who play in the NCAA (ECAC D I). This contest marked the debut of first year defenseman Luke Turcotte, who recently returned from the defending Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires.
Waterloo wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard early when Matt de Jong (Schnurr, Hart) beat Colgate’s Bryan Bessette. The Raiders responded midway through the period on a powerplay marker before taking a 2-1 lead heading into the second period.
In the second period the Raiders got back at it early scoring less than one minute into the frame, before Waterloo’s Kurt Thorner (Hart, Ray) drew the Warriors within one. That was as close as Waterloo would get as the Raiders added two more goals before the end of the second.
The third period saw Warrior freshman Kirt Hill get Waterloo back on the board, however Colgate responded with their sixth and final goal late in the game. The difference in the game for the Warriors was special teams; where Colgate took advantage scoring on three of their eight powerplay opportunities.
The Warriors will be hard at work preparing for what should be an exciting game this Friday when they host CIS finalist University of Western Ontario Mustangs in their home opener at 7:30pm at the Columbia Icefield Arena.
Warriors Begin Pre-season 2-1-0
Vs Team USA, 8-0 L
The Waterloo Warriors kicked off the 2009-10 season in Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 18th. This game marked a first in CIS history as the Warriors became the first Canadian university team to play against the US Under 18 National Team.
The game was a fast paced affair, in which 8 players made their debut with the Warriors, and the unfamiliarity of playing with new line mates certainly showed as the Warriors fell 8-0 to the defending World Champions.
The day after their eye-opening defeat, the Warriors enjoyed a day of team building when they took in the University of Michigan/East Michigan football game.
Vs Concordia, 6-3 W
Following a week of intense practicing, the Warriors travelled east to play against OUA East opponents Concordia and Ottawa.
On September 25th, the Warriors set out to avenge their loss from the previous week against the Concordia Stingers. The Warriors were held off the scoreboard early as Concordia was able to beat 2nd year goaltender Keaton Hartigan halfway through the first frame. However the Warriors tied the game in the second on a Mike Veysey (MacDonald, Schnurr) goal halfway through the period before Jarrett Schnurr gave the Warriors the lead on a powerplay marker assisted by Steve Whitely and Thomas Cardiff.
The third period brought more excitement as the Stingers rallied with two goals early, before Waterloo responded with four unanswered goals of their own. Waterloo goal scorers in the third were: Matt de Jong (Carwardine); Kyle Schwende (Pellerin, Fraser); Kyle MacDonald (Fraser); and Kyle Pellerin (Fraser, Schwende).
This game also marked the debut of John Zelenbaba, who split the goaltending duties with Hartigan – both were solid in the win.
Vs Ottawa, 6-4 W
After a night in Montreal, the Warriors travelled back down the highway to play the Ottawa GeeGees in a preview of a match-up which will take place in late November.
Prior to the game the team took part in a guided tour of Parliament Hill.
The game against Ottawa was a raucous, back and forth affair; heavy hitting, rough but also on display was the Warriors team discipline – over 100 penalty minutes were assessed throughout a game which lasted nearly 3 hours.
Waterloo jumped out to an early lead in front of rookie goaltender John Zelenbaba on goals by Shane Hart (Thorner, Ray), Kurt Thorner (Hart, Schnurr), Steve Whitely, (Hill, Hartman) and Jarrett Schnurr (de Jong, Wong). However Ottawa roared back scoring two goals just a minute apart before tying the game at four headed into the third period. Despite Ottawa’s best attempts to throw the Warriors off their game, they remained composed and pushed back with some physical play of their own, of note the Tim Horton like hit by Collin Carwardine on an Ottawa player which forced a lengthy stoppage after a scrum ensued.
Waterloo came out for the third, and has become habit in recent years, played their best period of the game scoring two unanswered goals from Cory Fraser (Pellerin, Hart) and Chris Ray (Hartman, Hart) to secure the victory. Zelenbaba and Hartigan combined for the win in goal for the Warriors.
The Warriors will be rounding out the exhibition season this weekend with another road trip to up-state New York to play NCAA DI Colgate Red Raiders this Saturday evening.
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567
contact us | give us feedback | http://www.uwaterloo.ca