WarHawks had struggled to win at home but have been very good on the road. That all changed Friday night as they took on the #2 team in the very competitive West Division. The Alexandria Blizzard confidently came to Willmar on a healthy win streak. The WarHawks had only beaten the Blizzard once this season in overtime and the head to head was heavily in their favor with a 4-0-1 record.
First period the boys had two key penalty kills that kept them in the game and denied the Blizzard any goals. Kai Girard faced the most shots of the game with 15 SOG, stopping every attempt. “I liked the intensity,” Head Coach Payton said during the first intermission. “We have to keep sticking to our X’s and O’x… using our speed and driving the net.”
Second period was just as intense as the first and scoreless, until the first penalty of the game on the Blizzard with just 6 minutes left in the period. For the first minute and 40 seconds, it looked like the Blizzard had put together a textbook PK. Sending the puck multiple times into the WarHawks defensive zone and closing down the slot. The Hawks only had one shot on net that happened early in the Power Play. That is until Mason Wanka (14)(Montgomery 7, Irion 8) got the puck on his stick. Wanka got an outlet pass in his own defensive zone, skating it all the way down below the Blizzard goal line on the left side of the ice. He fed a pass to Irion behind the net who brought it out to the half wall and passed it back to Wanka in the corner. Wanka gets the puck to Montgomery below the goal line and beelines it to the net. Montgomery gets Wanka the puck and he beats the tendy 1 hole to score the game’s first goal. Ultimately getting the game winning goal.
Third period the WarHawks had a confidence around them. Most teams, going into the 3rd, with only a 1 goal lead against a #2 team would more than likely play conservative or maybe even timid. Ultimately ruining their chance of winning. Someone must not have told the Hawks to “Fear the Claw” because within the first 5 minutes of the period, Gabriel Adams (12)(M. Jackson 4, Montgomery 8) got the boys second goal. Adams skated the puck wide on a zone entry with M. Jackson to his right. Adams makes a backhand pass to M. Jackson at the top of the circle who then shot at the hash marks in the slot. Adams, who crashed the left side of the net, grabbed the rebound and scored short side. Which turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the Blizzard who late in the period pulled their goalie but to no avail.
Key takeaways were the boys stayed out of the box, only getting 3 penalties and played with intensity all 3 periods like Coach Payton wanted when interviewed in the first intermission. Next home game is January 31st and then February 1st which is Youth Hockey Night. All kids that wear their association’s jersey to the game get in free with a paid adult!
