228 days after the end of their season, the Hawks returned to regular season action against their cross-town rival, the Waterloo Warriors, in the first Battle of Waterloo.
The game was exactly what it was supposed to be: a battle. In a bang-and-crash game that saw 34 penalty minutes, the Hawks had a slow start with little time in the offensive zone and few scoring chances.
Falling behind 2 goals to none after the first period, the second started fast with a goal for the Hawks in the first 15 seconds after Declan Graham sent the puck to the front of the net which was swatted in by Tyler Davis.
With some momentum on their side, the ice seemed to tilt in the favour of the Hawks as they buzzed around the offensive zone with a good shorthanded chance which resulted in a powerplay for the Hawks.
“You just got to keep it [simpler], every [penalty kill] is different.” Said Sam Rhodes after the game on their ineffective power play in the first period.
It was this same power play that managed to tie the game. Rhodes made a strong drive down the boards with a slick feed pass to Sullivan Sparkes who made no mistake in burying the puck in the back of Waterloo’s net.
The Hawks took Head Coach Kevin Forrest’s intermission speech to heart in a dominant second period. “It started with needing to be more physical… whether it was defensively or offensively.” Said Forrest.
In a game which was already plenty physical, the Hawks were able to kick it up a notch and find a more productive game on both ends of the ice.
In the final period, tied 2-2, the rough play continued with neither side giving up any goals until the final seven minutes when an unlucky bounce off a defender made its way into the Laurier goal. With a timeout called and an empty net, Laurier came close to tying the game, but were unsuccessful.
Now the Hawks prepare for another tough matchup against the Western Mustangs. “A short practice and a short memory.” Added forward Patrick Brown, explaining his team’s mindset going forward, not only for the next match, but the rest of the season.