The seventh place Saddle Lake Warriors lost to the fourth place Lloydminster Bandits on Sunday at home, by a score of 2 – 8.
The Warriors lost the team’s third game of the season after being kept at under two goals for the entire game by the Bandits’ defense and goalie. Cory Hunter, who plays defense, scored the team’s first goal in the first period, while the other was scored by Jared Cunningham, a forward, in the third period.
Jason Newman, the head coach of the Bandits, was pleased with his team’s work. “We had a total team effort tonight,” said Newman, adding, “Everybody played hard and got the win.”
Saddle Lake came out playing hard, commented Newman when asked about the Warriors’ effort. “And they have some tough penalties … and in the end, they seemed to power out in the third period.”
One of the Warriors’ leading point producers, Talon Cardinal, was ejected from the game in the first period after getting into a wrestling match. “Cardinal takes a hit on the head, and was kicked from the game,” said Winston Lapatak, the team’s president and co-general manager.
Lapatak wasn’t pleased with Sunday’s refereeing, which he said had “some inconsistencies.
“(The referee) could have used a little more neutral judgment in terms of the severity of the calls made,” Lapatak explained, adding, “There could be other calls beside a five minute major.”
Lapatak also said that he thought the team could have played better, even with the player ejections in the first period. “Players were apprehensive and afraid to take penalties,” commented Lapatak, adding this “affected our overall game strategy to be physical, aggressive, and to set the tempo of the game … we were back-pedaling and defending most of the night.”
A six game suspension of the Warriors’ head coach, Stan Olson, didn’t help either. “I think it’s been a challenge with the head coach, Stan Olson – the guy who has been with them since day one … to sit out his fifth game tonight,” commented Lapatak on Olson’s six games suspension.
“Hopefully after his suspension, we can get our stuff sorted out and continue in the right direction with the season.”
