Warriors clinch home ice in the first round in the final week of the regular season

Stratford Warriors forward McQuen Haylock levels Waterloo Siskins defenceman Damon Radley in front of the Siskins bench at the William Allman Memorial Arena on March 6.

Now that they know their first-round playoff opponent, the only remaining question for the Stratford Hunter Steel Warriors is who will hold home ice advantage at the start of the playoffs, as the regular season nears its end.

As they head into the final week, the Warriors and their first-round playoff opponent, the London Nationals, are tied at 66 points with two games remaining.

Head coach Dave Williams states that the team recognizes the importance of the upcoming games against the Waterloo Siskins and Chatham Maroons.

“We want to continue to work on things that we feel we need to be better at. As you know, we start the playoffs again. You know, it's a big game for everybody this weekend, really, it's a big game for Waterloo, Friday night, Sunday down in Chatham, it's going to be a big game as well for both teams,” Williams said.

“It's the same thing we're trying to build, you know, as much consistency in the game that we can, so that when we start against London, we're ready to go. So ideally, we'd like to have home ice, but I mean, you've got to be prepared to win on the road as well.”

On March 6, the Warriors hosted their last regular-season home game against the Waterloo Siskins. The Siskins aimed to stay in the playoff race as they trailed St. Thomas by one point for the final Western Conference spot heading into the last week.

Cruz Ferguson started scoring for Stratford in the first period, netting his 25th of the season, his eighth with the Warriors, at 4:12, aided by Coen Galbraith and Quinn Kipfer. Waterloo equalized with 10 minutes remaining in the period thanks to David Bodzai's goal. Jackson Halloran then put the Siskins ahead with just 90 seconds left in the first frame.

The score was 2-1 in favour of the visitors going into the third period when Galbriath scored his 12th goal of the season, assisted by Ferguson and Kipfer, just 66 seconds into the frame. However, Waterloo replied with Bodzai’s second goal of the game, which proved to be the game-winner at 7:41 of the final period.

Netminder Noah Bender stopped 27 of 30 shots for Stratford in the losing effort.

The Warriors headed to the final game of the regular season on March 8 in Chatham with an opportunity to clinch home ice in the opening round of the playoffs. A regulation loss would have the Warriors finish fifth place in the conference and start the playoffs on the road in London.

With the first period scoreless, Jaxon Priddle scored to put the Maroons on the board at 5:04 of the second period. Max Wildfong from Evan Arnold and McQuen Haylock at the midway point of the period put the Warriors level at 1-1.

In the third period, Ewan McChesney gave the Maroons a 2-1 lead 58 seconds into the final frame. With home-ice advantage hanging in the balance, the Warriors pulled Bender for an extra attacker with 1:32 remaining in regulation.

The strategy proved effective as Wildfong scored his second goal of the game, and 22nd of the season, with 70 seconds remaining in the period. As the final second ticked off the clock, the Warriors secured an important point in the standings and clinched the fourth seed in the Western Conference, earning home ice advantage for the Sutherland Cup playoffs. The game remained tied at 2-2 through overtime, leading to a shootout for the second time in their regular-season meetings. After nine rounds, the Maroons won when Santiago Jimenes scored the winning shot in the tenth round.

Bender stopped 36 of 38 shots in the shootout loss for Stratford.

The GOHL announced the first-round schedule on March 10. The best-of-seven Western Conference Quarterfinals begin on March 13 at the Allman Arena. Stratford will hold Games 1, 3, 5 and 7, while London hosts Games 2, 4 and 6.

GOHL Western Conference Quarterfinals (#4 Stratford Warriors vs. #5 London Nationals

Game 1: London vs. Stratford (William Allman Memorial Arena) March 13, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2: Stratford vs. London (Western Fair Sports Centre) March 14, 7 p.m.

Game 3: London vs. Stratford (William Allman Memorial Arena) March 16, 7:30 p.m.

Game 4: Stratford vs. London (Western Fair Sports Centre) March 18, 7 p.m.

Game 5: London vs. Stratford (William Allman Memorial Arena) March 20, 7:30 p.m. (if needed)

Game 6: Stratford vs. London (Western Fair Sports Centre) March 22, 7:30 p.m. (if needed)

Game 7: London vs. Stratford (William Allman Memorial Arena) March 25, 7:30 p.m. (if needed)