WATERLOO, Ont. - In the final regular season home game of the 2021/22 season, Laurier honoured its five graduating seniors with a ceremony of recognition before the game. The seniors came to play and starting goaltender Tyler Fassl was dominant, making 39 saves in a 5-3 win over the Waterloo Warriors.
Anthony Sorrentino and Michael Silveri each got a goal, and Mack Graham chipped-in an assist on the game-winning goal.
Graeme MacLean is also a member of the seniors' group that was commemorated but did not find the scoresheet despite a solid game.
With playoff implications on the line, Waterloo came out fighting to start the game, amassing an 8-5 advantage on the shot clock in the first ten minutes. However, the extra ceremonies before the game didn't cool off Fassl, as he put on a clinic in his third start of the season.
The Warriors controlled the pace of play in the first, but Fassl's play was calm, cool, and collected, making it easy for the Golden Hawks to play in front of him with low-event hockey. Fassl kept the game even when Waterloo could have easily pulled ahead, including a beautiful save late from a chance in the slot.
With just under a minute left in the opening frame, Patrick Brown carried the puck through the neutral zone and sent Evan Benwell on the offensive.
Benwell would make a gorgeous move to cut to the middle before sending it back door to a wide-open Matt McJannet who buried it for the late period strike to head to the locker room up by one.
On the goal, McJannet recorded his fifth goal of the season, while Brown got his team-leading ninth assist of the season and 11th point since the restart. In addition, Benwell picked up his seventh assist of the season.
In his 99th career regular-season game, captain Sorrentino added to Laurier's lead early in the second period. Entering the Waterloo zone, Sorrentino cut to the middle and fired a shot on the net that would eventually be blocked.Â
However, as the Warriors scrambled to find the puck, Sorrentino scooped it up and rifled a shot top-corner for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The Golden Hawks would be charged with the first penalty mid-way through the second. After a solid first-half penalty kill, Sam Rhodes found space in the neutral zone and skated in to eat time off the clock but managed to draw two defenders towards him.
Rhodes fed Silveri a pass to the slot as he capitalized on the open ice created. From there, Silveri tucked it low on the far side before the goalie could get across for his second shorthanded goal of the season.
After the game, Silveri talked about how special teams have been an area of focus for the team, allowing him to create chances on the penalty kill.Â
"Rhodes and I have been able to develop excellent chemistry in that aspect of the game," Silveri said.
Not to be outdone, Fassl stretched out for an absolute robbery on the remaining Waterloo powerplay to keep the Warriors off the score sheet.Â
However, Waterloo continued its relentless onslaught of shots, outshooting Laurier 16-12 in the middle frame. As a result, the Warriors finally solved Fassl late in the second after they killed off a Laurier powerplay.
Less than a minute later, Sullivan Sparkes picked up the puck along the board by the hash marks before skating to the blueline, cutting back to the slot, and sniping a shot from his off-wing. Â
Looking to add to its three-goal lead, Laurier started the third with its second powerplay but could not muster any chances as they went 0-for-2 on the night.
With the momentum from the penalty kill, Waterloo maintained the pressure and, through a screen, managed to solve Fassl for the second time. The Warriors would not go down without a fight as they continued to outshoot the Golden Hawks, this time 12-6 in the period.
McJannet got caught for a trip halfway through the frame, sending a hot penalty kill back on the ice. However, an odd bounce off the faceoff left a Warriors in front, and Fassl had no chance as he was expecting the puck to go the other way.
With the goal, it was the first time Laurier's penalty kill surrendered a goal in six games, as they went 16-for-16 in their previous five games.
Just as the Golden Hawks looked to be in trouble, Brown followed up in just over a minute with a stunning one-handed effort to beat the goalie top shelf and put the nail in the coffin.Â
A spirited battle in front of the net led to an interference call against Steven MacLean, giving Waterloo one last chance to get back in the game late.
However, the Laurier penalty kill was not about to give up two in a game, something not accomplished by another team since November 13, 2021. Even with the goalie pulled and a 6-on-4 man advantage, the Warriors could not solve Fassl as he shut the door in the final minutes.
A couple of chances in the dying minutes after a Waterloo timeout provided pulse-raising action, but the Golden Hawks would walk away with the 5-3 victory despite being outshot 42-31 in the game.
With the victory, Laurier clinches the #2 position in the OUA Far West and secures home-ice in the opening round of the Queen's Cup Playoffs. However, the playoffs will look different for those familiar with the OUA, as the league has decided to adopt a single-elimination bracket-style tournament to award the 110th Queen's Cup.
After the game, captain Sorrentino talked about how his team is feeling heading into the new format.
"The way we're built, we can roll all four lines and be confident that everyone will go out and do their job," he said, adding, "We need to have a dog-on-bone mentality to edge out those victories in the challenging one-goal games."
A new playoff format means new strategies, especially for goaltending, since it's a do-or-die situation. Although Laurier's assistant coach Trent Brown highlighted the benefits of having two hot goaltenders, he was confident in saying that "it doesn't matter who we put out there, the team will be ready to play in front of them."
Players of the Game
Laurier
C Michael SilveriÂ
One of five seniors honoured before the game, the forward, put the game out of reach for Waterloo with his second shorthanded goal of the season to put Laurier up 3-0 in the second (5-2-7).
C Anthony Sorrentino
The captain and most senior Golden Hawk moved into the team-lead in goals with six on the season when he finished off his own blocked shot with a blast from the slot (6-3-9).
G Tyler Fassl
With 39 saves, the senior was tested early and often, as he had to make crucial saves throughout the game to keep his team ahead and ultimately secure home ice in the playoffs.
F Mack GrahamÂ
Another senior to get on the score sheet, he had the lone assist on the game-winning goal for his fourth point of the season (1-3-4).
Waterloo
F Dan Walker
With a goal and an assist, the rookie added to his team lead in points (6-9-16), and made his name known on the ice to give his team a chance to come back.
Next Up
The Golden Hawks will finish the regular season on Saturday in a rematch on Waterloo home ice. It will be the fifth meeting of the Battle of Waterloo, as Laurier looks for the season sweep after going 4-0-0 in the first four games.
Catch the game live on OUA.tv
