Whitby increased it’s win streak to 6 with a 13-8 victory over the visiting Oakville Buzz, and with it moved into first place in the standings in the league. With another strong performance by top scorers Brock Haley (3G-4A) and Adam Poitras (4G-3A), the Whitby offence was able to score when they needed to in order to secure the win. Kaleb Martin got the start for Whitby and together with strong defence, kept Oakville of the board in the first period, finishing 5-0.
The second period was a better one for Oakville. Getting on the board one-minute-twenty seconds into the frame, they would end the period having outscored Whitby 7-4 and closing the deficit to just two coming into the third period at 9-7. The story of the second period was goaltending. Oakville starter Aden Walsh found his game and made numerous key saves which sparked the Oakville squad. Their offence continued to generate opportunities and this period these found their way past Martin. Though the scoring for Whitby was consistent in terms of goals scored, the period was clearly won by Oakville, as they increased their intensity to match Whitby’s, giving this game a very real playoff feel.
The third period saw Whitby continue with consistent opportunities on offence, posting four more goals. Their defence, however, was the star as they held Oakville to only one goal, using constant pressure, particularly in the mid-floor, forcing Oakville into multiple over-and-back turnovers. Martin regained his first period form, turning aside all but one Oakville shot.
The win moves Whitby into first place in the league, tied with Oakville and Mimico, with Mimico having two games in hand over both Oakville and Whitby. Whitby hosts Burlington Tuesday June 28 at 7:30 PM at IPSC in their next home game.
June 22, 2022 Whitby Defence Too Much for Brampton Excelsiors
The Brampton Excelsiors came into tonight’s contest with the Warriors having only won once this season. For starting goaltender Connor O’Toole he probably knew he would be in for a busy night, as the 9-4 Warriors lead the league in goals scored this season. O’Toole was up to the task as he was a very busy goalie this evening and though his team fell 9-3, the score could have been much different if not for O’Toole’s very strong play.
The Warriors came out strong and took the play to Brampton right from the start. What appeared different this game compared to some previously is that the Warriors seemed to have an extra jump in their step when it came to loose ball pursuit. Repeatedly they were able to corral rebounds in front of the Brampton net to extend offensive possession, or aggressively seek out the ball in the mid-floor when their press caused poor passes from Brampton. This pressure lead to a dominant first period, and indeed the game, as Whitby controlled all the major categories in the game: time of possession, shots on goals, assists, and of course, score. When Brampton did manage to set up an offensive possession, Whitby applied a steady diet of double-teams and relentless individual pressure to keep Brampton on the perimeter of the defence throughout the night.
Liam Wright was steady in net for Whitby and when called upon to make a save was perfect for all but three shots. Whitby’s offence was led by Jack Budway and Brock Haley with six points each. Adam Poitras added four assists and Parker Pipher added three. Haley now leads the league in scoring with 79 points and a 7.9 points per game average. Poitras is now second in league scoring with 67 points in 12 games, and sits one assist behind league leader Parker Pipher.
The Warriors play their second consecutive Friday home game this Friday June 24 when they host the Oakville Buzz for Minor Lacrosse Night. Game time is 7:30 at IPSC.
June 14, 2022
Whitby runs away from KW immediately After going 1-1 over the past weekend with a loss in Orangeville in the final second of the game Friday, and a win in Brampton Sunday, Whitby came home tonight to host a KW team still looking to earn their first victory of the season. They will have to continue that search as they lost handily 29-5.
Jack Budway scored what would be the game winning goal before the half-way mark of the first period as the Warriors put up 11 goals in the first period and 11 in the second while only having surrendered three by the same point in the game. Kaleb Martin got the win for Whitby and was called upon on a few occasions to make some key saves to contribute to the win.
The game, encouragingly, maintained its intensity and professionalism despite the score. KW continued to battle the entire game, and Whitby neither let up on the score sheet nor embarrassed their opponents with unnecessary celebrations after a goal or trying to create scoring opportunities outside of their normal offensive sets. A tip of the cap goes to both coaching staffs for having team cultures which maintain the focus of their squads in such a match as this was tonight.
The Warriors welcome the Orangeville Northmen this Friday June 17 @ 7:30 PM.
June 7, 2022
Whitby rebounds from weekend loss to beat Peterborough
When a loss in the backside of the back-to-back with the St. Catherines Athletics this past Saturday, Whitby was looking for some home floor help as they took on the Peterborough Lakers Tuesday night, and put some space between the two teams in the standings. They were able to do that with a 13-11 win which helps them set up for a weekend which could see them earn some important points.
The Lakers game was representative of two teams tied in the standings and in the middle of those standings. Trailing after one period 3-2, Whitby would outscore Peterborough 6-3 in the second for an 8-6 lead, and they would each score five times in the final frame to complete the game 13-11. Highlights of the night were courtesy of Gabe Sorichetti and Jack Budway with their first Jr. A goals of the season, Brock Haley doing Brock Haley things with another 10 point night, and Laker goalie Jackson Hainer with a shot-rebound-shot-rebound-shot-rebound-shot-rebound save sequence in the second period which was nothing short of spectacular. The Warriors would score shortly after that sequence but it may be one of the best of the season. The game was one of timing in the goal department, as the game winner by Haley would not come until 2:03 remained in the game.
The Warriors now gear up for two road games on the weekend, Friday in Orangeville and Sunday in Brampton. The next home game is Tuesday June 14 at 7:30 against Kitchener-Waterloo.
May 31, 2022
Warriors offence erupts for 17-5 win over St. Catherines Athletics
In a complete performance reversal from just two days earlier, Whitby's offence had plenty of rhythm as all the scoring it would need to secure the game was provided in the first period of play. Scoring five times to the visiting Athletics' zero output, and adding twelve more during the contest, the two goals St. Catherines could manage in the second period, and the three in third, were merely items of mention and of no consequence to the outcome of the game.
Leading Whitby's scoring was Adam Poitras with ten points (five goals and five assists), Brock Haley with nine points (four and five) and Parker Pipher (three and four). Poitras's performance moved him into third in league scoring, two points behind Pipher, who leads the league in Assists with nineteen. Kaleb Martin got the win in the net for Whitby.
The second period, as far as scoring was concerned, was a tame affair, as no scoring would occur until three quarters of the period had passes, then the teams would combine for five goals scored before the period was out. Whitby would take an 8-2 lead into the dressing room.
The third was another Whitby explosion, scoring nine times, chasing Athletics starting goaltender Austin Paddy midway through the third period. Coupled with some flaring tempers, the third period provided some excitement which may carry over to the rematch this coming Saturday as the Warriors will travel to St. Catherines for an afternoon tilt.
The Warriors now improve to 4-2-0 on the season. Their next home game is Tuesday June 7 at IPSC at 7:30 PM against the visiting Peterborough Lakers.
May 29, 2022
Whitby offence struggles to find it's rhythm
The Whitby Warriors and Burlington Chiefs battled to a tight two-goal victory for Burlington in front of their home crowd, and improve their record to 2-3, while Whitby falls to 3-2. Tonight's contest saw a two-goal difference in the final score, and a two-shot difference in the game shot count.
The opening period only saw three goals, two for Burlington and one for Whitby, and none coming until almost a full thirteen minutes into the game when Adam Poitras opened the scoring with his first of two goal on the night. In his first start of the season, Whitby Goalie Liam Wright recorded his first assist of the season on Poitras' marker. Burlington would answer with one even-strength goal and one Power Play goal to close the period. Shots were 14-9 for Burlington.
The second period emphasized the equality of the game, as both sides would score four goals apiece, two even-strength plus two on Special Teams, and the shots would finish 19-17 for Burlington. The only notable difference were in penalty minutes, with Whitby taking twelve minutes during the period to Burlington's six. After two periods it remained a one-goal game, 6-5 Burlington.
Whitby's third period was a shooting advantage as they would fire almost twice as many shots at Burlington netminder Mitch Dunham as the Chiefs' shooters would put toward Wright. Whitby outshot Burlington 19-10 in the final frame but Dunham was up to the task, turning away seventeen of the attempts to secure the win for his side. Whitby's Michael Andersson would knot the game at 7-7 with just over half of the period to play, and Burlington would pot the winner with just six minutes to play, then add another in the final two minutes. Final score 9-7 Burlington.
Whitby hosts St. Catharines on Tuesday May 31 at Iroquois Park Sports Centre at 7:30 PM.
May 26, 2022
Stingy Beaches defense too much for Warriors
A shutout in the second period proved to be the difference for the Toronto Beaches as the Warriors lose for the first time this season, 12-7. In fact, they almost held the Warriors off the scoresheet for the third period as well except for a goal by Riley Knox near the mid-point of the third period.
The game started well for Whitby, scoring three times after surrendering the first goal of the game to Toronto. Brock Haley scored twice, and singles from Michael Anderson, Jake Darlison, Jack Oldman, and Treystan Stewart provided Whitby a 6-4 first period lead headed into the intermission.
Toronto may have felt they had something to prove following last week’s game in Whitby. Toronto believed they had won the game in overtime, but a refereeing error allowed the game to continue which Whitby won. The second period was a defensive shutout for the home side despite being outshot by Whitby 10-7 during the frame. Toronto scored five times to erase their deficit and pull away from the visitors, carrying a 9-6 lead into the dressing room.
Toronto continued its solid defence throughout the third period. Again outshot by Whitby 18-12, Knox’s goal would be the only marker Whitby would earn. Their record now goes to 3-1-0.
Of note this season is the play of Parker Pipher. Leading the team tonight in points with three assists, he currently now leads the league in Assists (tied at 13) and is second overall in scoring with 19 points (6 goals). All that while only four of those points have come on the power play.
The Warriors next play in Burlington Sunday May 29.
May 24, 2022 Warriors improve to 3-0 powered by Brock Haley
Brock Haley recorded six goals to lead the Whitby Warriors over the visiting Six Nations Arrows at IPSC. Adam Poitras added three, and Riley Knox, Michael Andersson, Ben Macdonell and Jack Oldman each contributed singles. The win keeps Whitby atop the standings tied with the St. Catharines Athletics, who visit Whitby next week.
The Six Nations team did not look like a team still searching for their first win of the season as they jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the first period. Three power play goals in the first eleven minutes powered the visitors to the lead, to be clawed back by the home side with three straight goals of their own, one of which on the power play, and Shakorennawis Swamp adding one more before the end of the first period to tie the score at 4.
The second period saw the home side record three straight, two from Haley and one from Poitras. Six Nations would respond with two power play goals, followed by a short-handed goal by Haley, and the teams trading one power play goal apiece to finish the scoring of the second frame. The teams found some extra intensity during the second period which saw four major penalties assessed, split evenly between the teams, as some tempers flared and plenty of extra-activity took place. The referees were determined not to let the game slip away from them and kept the after-whistle activities under tight control. After two periods the penalties were eight to Whitby and ten to Six Nations, and Whitby took a 9-7 lead into the intermission.
The last period of the game saw Jack Oldman score the eventual game winner just 1:47 into the frame. Two short-handed goals by Whitby would neutralize two power play goals by Six Nations during the period, and Ben Macdonnell would add an empty net goal at the end of the session to cement the victory.
The Warriors next games are Thursday May 26 at the Toronto Beaches, then visit Burlington on Sunday May 29. Tuesday May 31 they welcome the St. Catharines Athletics at 7:30.
May 17, 2022 Macdonnell nets Overtime Winner; Martin records first victory at home
Ben Macdonell scored half way through Sudden Victory overtime Tuesday evening to give the Warriors a 7-6 victory over the visiting Toronto Beaches. The victory was not without some controversy however.
The Warriors, still without some of their key players who are attending school in the USA, got off to a sluggish and sloppy start to tonight's game. A multitude of turnovers, and an apparent lack of jump, cost the Warriors a three goal deficit at the end of the first period. This could have easily been a greater number if not for some timely saves from newcomer Kaleb Martin, who got the start in tonight's game. Toronto came out firing at the start of the game and were easily the better team during the first 20 minutes. The Beaches were able to generate numerous scoring opportunities from close range on Martin, and seemed to be able to attack the crease at will. The Warrior defence bent, but didn't break, and the period came to a close with Beaches up 4-1.
Warriors Head Coach Shawn Williams would have had plenty of items to talk with the team about during the first intermission, as there was clearly several areas the players could improve upon. Whatever the exact conversation was had an effect at the start of the second period. The Warriors most significant difference was their intensity level. Beaches noticed too. It almost appeared as if the physicality of the Warriors was what Beaches had expected from the start of the game, and now that it was here, welcomed it. Both teams increased their intensity and pace, with numerous big hits from both sides, and as the pace quickened, a couple of Too Many Players penalties were called as both teams tried to make the most of quick transition opportunities. The other major difference of the Warriors was their defence, highlighted by the fact they finished the second period down 5-4, having held the Beaches to just one goal through the second frame.
The third period saw both teams pushing the intensity at the same level as the second period, some excellent goaltending by both Kaleb Martin and Beaches’ Andrew Kidd, and both sides traded goals early in the frame to make it 6-5. Neither team could change that until Adam Poitras scored on an outside shot into an otherwise empty net following a perfectly executed hidden ball play which fooled the Beaches’ defense and Kidd, believing the ball was with Riley Knox and Parker Pipher at the right shooter and crease positions, when it was with Poitras at the top shooter position. The left side of the net was more than open for him to fire in the tying goal. Both sides attempted a final flurry at the end of the session but to no avail.
Overtime saw Whitby win the opening draw and immediately call a Time Out. Their ensuing offensive set was not successful and play continued at a furious pace through the first three-and-a half minutes of overtime. Off a rebound from a Whitby scoring attempt, Beaches quickly transitioned up the floor, and a running bounce shot from the right side appeared to beat Martin. The play, however, was not whistled dead, as it seemed the referees did not see if the ball entered the net. It appeared as though the referees only saw the ball bouncing in the crease behind White. The Beaches’ bench emptied, believing they were victorious; the Warriors bench threw up their hands, protesting Beaches having Too Many Men on the floor as no whistle had stopped play; and finally the referees stopped play on their own Time Out to discuss the call. After several minutes it was determined No Goal. Two minutes later Macdonnell would score on his own running bounce shot low past the Beaches’ tenders' right foot, following a fabulous one-on-one defensive strip by Macdonnell to create his own loose ball opportunity and breakaway scoring sprint.
The Warriors put their 2-0 record on the line next Tuesday night at home in Whitby against the Six Nations Arrows. Game time is 8:00 PM.