The Saddle Lake Warriors played a hard-fought home opener on Oct. 3 versus the Onion Lake Border Chiefs.
It was the visiting team that found the scoreboard first with a power play goal 5:44 into the opening period.
After skating scoreless for the next few minutes of play, Saddle Lake scored two quick back-to-back goals to take hold of the lead, much to the delight of the significant home crowd. Matt Goold scored a power play goal with 5:46 left to play in the first, and less than a minute later his teammate Lyndon Bird netted another.
“When you get two goals back to back that really sparks up your team,” said Warriors player Silas Makokis, in an interview after the game.
Saddle Lake took their lead into the second, but it was again the team from Onion Lake who threw the first blow in the period, tying things up a mere 4:16 into the frame.
Saddle Lake would answer with a Makokis goal about halfway through the period. That would be all the scoring in the second, but special teams made for a few momentum swings as the frame played out.
“We had them on a five-on-three, and then all of a sudden we took two penalties back-to-back,” said head coach Darcy McGilvery. “They finished their penalties, and all of a sudden it was five-on-three for them. It didn’t really give us an opportunity to execute.”
Even so, Saddle Lake took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission.
“The vibe was good in the dressing room,” McGilvery said. “They knew that Onion Lake wasn’t going to quit . . . but they still felt that they had the upper hand.”
Sure enough, Onion Lake started the third period with a bang, scoring two quick unanswered goals within the first minute of play.
“We weren’t really focused enough,” Makokis said about the start of the third. “We’ve really got to keep our minds in the game.”
“I think there was a breakdown on their assignments,” McGilvery added. “Our players weren’t where they were supposed to be.”
The teams traded goals as the third period played out, with Saddle Lake’s Kevin Krengnatak scoring with 14:30 to go. Onion Lake would answer less than three minutes later, and a late-game empty netter for the visiting team was enough to spoil the Warriors’ home opening party, making the final score 6-4 for the Border Chiefs.
Even with the loss, coach McGilvery saw a lot of positives out of his young team on Friday night, and is looking forward to an exciting season.
“The boys are in the dressing room right now, and they’re shaking their heads. They know they let one slip away,” he said. “We still have a long way to go, but we’re getting there.”
