Warriors defense nearly impenetrable

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

The Wheatland Warriors won three straight games in a jam-packed weekend for the first-place club.
The local double-A bantam team beat the Red Deer Ramada 8-2 on Feb. 1 in Hussar, crushed the Red Deer Steel Kings 5-0 on Feb. 2 in Red Deer and edged out the Taber Golden Suns 1-0 on Feb. 3 in Hussar.
The Warriors ability to score from anywhere in the lineup has been a strength all season long and it showed against the Ramada.
Six Warriors scored two points and seven others added one. Warriors goalie Matthew Dovichak only had to make 11 saves in the victory as the Warriors peppered the Ramada goalie with 75 shots.
The Warriors didn’t stop shooting against the other Red Deer club as they outshot the Steel Kings 53-13. Warriors forward Philip Raycroft led the way with two goals and one assist and Parker Forrest turned aside all shots for the shutout.
Despite the close score against the Golden Suns, the Warriors only allowed six shots on net. Golden Suns goalie Scout Sidam stood on his head and made a game of it with 43 saves in the contest. Warriors forward Brandon McGillivray was the lone goal scorer in the game.
The defensive game of the Warriors over the weekend limited the opposition to 30 shots and only three goals against as they ride a four-game winning streak. With close to an impregnable defensive wall and the offensive strength to score, the Warriors now hold a record of 24-3-1 and continue to sit in first place in the league.
The Warriors will return to Strathmore to play against the Okotoks Oilers on Feb. 9 at 4:45 p.m., and against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Feb. 10 in Lethbridge.

Chiefs hang on for tie
Another close game in a season of close games for the Wheatland Chiefs, who tied the Lethbridge Hurricane Hounds 2-2 on Feb. 2 in Hussar. Jaycob Masciangelo led the charge for the local double-A midget team with a pair of goals and Drew Dovichak made 21 saves for the draw.
The Chiefs remain in fifth place and have a record of 11-13-3 in the south conference. They will play the Red Deer CanPro on Feb. 10 in Red Deer and the CRAA Blue on Feb. 13 at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary.

Braves fall just short
The Wheatland Braves lost 6-5 against the Red Deer Parkland on Feb. 2 in Red Deer. The local double-A peewee team couldn’t score in the first period and found themselves down by two. They crawled back into it but couldn’t close the deficit as time ticked away.
The Braves have a record of 13-9-4 and sit in fifth place in the south conference as they head into a quieter weekend, with only one game against the Cranbrook BP Wings on Feb. 10 at the Strathmore Family Centre at 1:30 p.m.