Warriors continue to roll, Bender gets honoured

The Stratford Hunter Steel Warriors had another strong showing this week, extending their winning streak and having a member of its organization recognized by the Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL).

Having secured their playoff spot last weekend, the Warriors continued to aim for an improved playoff seeding as they faced the St. Thomas Stars, Waterloo Siskins and Strathroy Rockets.

The reliable goaltending tandem of Noah Bender and Gage Hurst has helped the Warriors extend their four-game winning streak.

Head coach Dave Williams underlined the importance of the duo developing positive form and expressed hope that this trend continues in the coming week.

“It’s good that both of them were able to get in there and have solid games and contribute to all three wins. So, I thought our weekend was good, from our goaltending to our defence and to our forwards. I thought we did a lot of good things,” Williams said.

“Now, the thing is just to be able to consistently do them again this upcoming weekend against three very competitive opponents, again, three teams that are, you know, battling for those in their playoff spots. We anticipate having to be equally as good this weekend if you want to win.”

Colin Slattery and Cruz Ferguson praised both Bender and Hurst.

“We got two of the best goalies in the league. We got confidence in both of them,” Slattery said.

“Both those guys (Bender and Hurst) can steal us some games, especially going to the playoffs. I thought Bender played unreal,” Ferguson said.

Rhyse Brown and Joseph Curtin support the tandem and outlined the game plan for the upcoming week.

“Yeah, I think both of those guys battled hard. They're both great goaltenders, and we can trust them night in, night out. So yeah, I think it was really good for both of them to play really well, and again, keep that role,” Brown said.

“I think we need to follow what we did last weekend, play hard, work hard, get bucks down, down in deep and go to work and get on teams as we can; the results will come well.”

“Yeah, absolutely. They're both great goaltenders. They make the big stops that we need them to make. It's a calming presence having them back there,” Curtin said.

“Just continue to play hard and get pucks behind teams' defence and just grind away right away. Keep getting these wins.”

On Feb. 20, the Warriors played against the St. Thomas Stars. Before the game, the team recognized and thanked the billet families and Zehrs for their ongoing support and contributions throughout the season.

Evan Arnold gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead as he scored his 14th goal of the season from Colin Slattery and Will Coward at the midway point of the first period. With the goal, Arnold has five points in the last four games.

With 68 seconds left in the second period, Ferguson ended his four-game scoring drought by scoring his sixth goal as a Warrior and his 23rd of the season, from Slattery and Quinn Kipfer. Thanks to the two assists, Slattery has earned seven points over his last five games.

Murphy iced the game for Stratford at the midway mark of the final frame with his ninth of the season from Dominic Marshall and Rhyse Brown.

Bender earned his second career GOHL shutout and 16th win of the season as he stopped all 12 shots in goal.

Despite a solid defensive effort and Bender’s strong performance, the Warriors had difficulty producing offensive efficiency. After the game, Williams stated that the victory boosted the netminder's and the team's confidence, but he also criticized the offensive strategy.

“It’s a good thing to win 3-0. We haven't had a lot of shutouts this year, so I think that's the nice thing for Noah to experience, for the group to experience, with Noah a little confidence here heading into the stretch try before the playoffs,” Williams said.

“But, yeah, I mean, I thought we were a little sloppy. We're trying to force plays that weren't there, make lateral plays on entries and things like that, and turn pucks over at different times. I thought it was a little stale at times, and we're looking for a perfect shot, rather than just trying to generate a quality shot play off that rebound.”

Murphy has high praise for the netminder.

“I thought it was good for Bender to get some confidence back and be ready for the playoffs,” Murphy said.

Bender felt positive about his performance and noted that, despite his confidence remaining steady, his recent wins have boosted his morale.

“Yeah, it was great. The boys did a great job tonight. Really helped me out. Made a little bit easier. I'm definitely very confident in the defensemen that I have in front of me, and I think they're pretty confident in me,” Bender said. “My confidence was never gone. It's always been there, but the wins, for sure, helped.”

On Feb. 22, the Warriors travelled to Waterloo for an early matinée tilt against the Siskins. Before the game, both teams honoured referee Phil Rawn, who was officiating his final game.

Ferguson scored his seventh goal with the Warriors midway through the first period. The game remained 1-0 in favour of the visitors until Kipfer, assisted by Murphy, scored his 13th goal of the season, securing a 2-0 victory, their sixth consecutive win.

Bender kept his strong week of performances going with 18 saves, earning his second consecutive shutout, his third of the season, and his 17th win of the year.

Hours before the Feb. 23 game, the GOHL honoured Bender with the league’s Western Conference Performer of the Week award. In his three starts, the Wellesley-native posted a 3-0 record with a .970 save percentage and a 0.97 goals-against average, along with two shutouts.

Stratford aimed to conclude a successful week by hosting the Strathroy Rockets at the Allman Arena on Feb. 23.

The Warriors controlled the game with offensive pressure, outshooting the Rockets 38-10 over 60 minutes, but were unable to score. In overtime, Strathroy scored the only goal at 4:07 of the extra frame. Stratford netminder Gage Hurst made 10 saves in the loss.

Despite their overtime defeat, the Warriors extended their point streak to eight consecutive games (6-0-2-0), earning 14 of a possible 16 points.

Williams appreciated the team’s overall effort but noted the limited opportunities to create more significant scoring chances near the Strathroy crease.

“I didn't mind how we played tonight. Would like to see us get a little bit more traffic around. Traffic around the net. Definitely generated a decent amount of shots, but I think some of them are still a little easy for him (Strathroy netminder Seth Ronan). We need to make it a little more challenging for him to find some of those pucks,” Williams said.

“We just went nine periods without giving up a goal. So, as much as it kind of sucks, losing. We grab the point, and we've been defending really, really well here the last number of games.”

As of press time, Stratford is in fourth place in the Western Conference with 66 points, three points ahead of London. They are just two points behind second-place St. Marys and one point behind third-place Elmira.

The Warriors head south on Highway 7 to play against the St. Marys Lincolns on Feb. 27, followed by an away game at Strathroy against the Rockets on Feb. 28.