Box Score The Windsor Lancers Men's Hockey team fell 4-3 to the Waterloo Warriors at home on Friday night, forcing a game three in their series on Sunday.
Despite outshooting the Warrirors 52-33, the Lancers allowed the visitors to even the best-of three OUA playoff series 1-1.
“They got a bounce or two we didn't get,” said Lancers winger Josh Gaynor, who had a goal and an assist. “In playoff hockey, that's the way games are won or lost.”
To finish off the seventh-ranked Warriors, the Lancers are going to have to be more patient against a more experienced opponent on Sunday.
The Warriors connected twice with the extra man in the opening period needing a combined 10 seconds to do it. Chris Ray tapped in his own rebound for the first at 8:13 while Kyle Sonnenberg blasted in the second at 13:53.
“We played an decent game, but a good game doesn't get it done at this time of year,” Lancers coach Kevin Hamlin said.
The second period got quite chippy with the Warriors intent on tormenting Windsor goalie Jim Watt, who was wielding a mean piece of lumber in the crease.
Watt was already in a foul mood after Waterloo scored a flukey goal when a puck bounced up from behind the net and caromed in off his back. Mike Veysey got credit for the goal at 1:34.
Gaynor and Waterloo's Shane Hart exchanged goals over the next 10 minutes and the Warriors looked in good shape leading 4-2 in the period's final seconds.
However, Hart got caught slew footing Watt at 19:28 and the penalty proved costly when Matt McCready blasted Gaynor's pass home with 2.07 seconds remaining.
It seemed the table was set for the Lancers to make another third-period charge, as they had in Game 1, but that never materialized.
“I thought we were fired up (heading into the third period), but the game became a chess match,” Gaynor said. “They set up the trap and we had trouble getting through the neutral zone.”
The Lancers will now travel to Waterloo on Sunday for deciding game in the first round series. The puck will drop at 2:00pm at the Columbia Ice Field.
Courtesy of the Windsor Star
