WATERLOO, Ont. - In their return from the holiday break, Laurier laced up their skates in the season's second installment of the Battle of Waterloo.
Christian Propp made 26 saves for the Laurier Golden Hawks in a 4-1 victory against the Waterloo Warriors at Columbia IceField Arena.
The Golden Hawks found themselves in some penalty trouble in the first period, but couldn't shut down the Warriors' powerplay three separate times. Laurier had a single powerplay opportunity of their own but was unable to find the back of the net.
Christian Propp looked comfortable early and made a handful of big saves in the first period to keep the game scoreless.
With just over six minutes left in the middle frame,
Evan Benwell and
Sullivan Sparkes worked their way into the Warrior zone on a 2-on-1. Instead of forcing a pass backdoor to Sparkes, Benwell opted to rip a shot into the back of the net to give the purple and gold their first goal of the New Year.
The Golden Hawks extended their lead early in the third period. Patrick Brown potted a powerplay goal for his fifth goal of the season and fifth point in his last six matches. Conor Ali and Isaac Sooklal picked up the apples on the goal.
Later in the third period, Max Dodig put home his first goal as a Golden Hawk to further extend Laurier's lead. Thomas Lenart picked up his seventh assist of the season on the goal.
The Warriors found the back of the net late on a powerplay in the third period. Sam McKinney was the goal scorer, and Tate Popple and Aaron Davidson were awarded with assists.
Jadon Reimer scored a last-second empty-net goal for good measure as the Golden Hawks handed the Warriors squad their first loss of the New Year and 12th straight loss on the campaign.
Plus + the Battle of Waterloo Win
Every win is a good win, but wins against rivals are just that much sweeter. Each point matters for the Golden Hawks as they fight for a playoff spot in this back half of the season. This win against our Waterloo rivals keeps Laurier within striking distance of the seventh and final playoff spot in the West.
The next time Laurier faces off against Waterloo will be in the Battle of the Aud on January 24th.
Plus + Points, points, points
With last night's win, the purple and gold have won three of their last four games. In that time frame, they have averaged four goals a game for the first time this season and have bested two of the top-ranked teams in the nation in Brock and Concordia.
Up Next
Next weekend Laurier (6-11-1) will take a plane ride up north to Thunder Bay for a back-to-back against the Lakehead Thunderwolves (9-8-1). The Golden Hawks have yet to play the Thunderwolves this year but swept them 3-0 in last year's season series.
The puck drop for Friday night's game is at 7 pm at Fort Williams Garden in Thunder Bay. If you can't be at the game, follow the action on X (formerly Twitter) at @WLUAthletics or live on OUA.tv
