Stratford Warriors red hot heading into GOJHL season’s second half

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Time flies when you’re winning.

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And the Stratford Warriors have done plenty of that in the first half of the season, with Friday’s 6-2 victory over Caledon its sixth straight triumph.

The club is 18-6-0 through 24 games, with the midway point of the 2022-23 campaign coming Saturday in Caledon.

“It goes quick, for sure,” Warriors captain Zac McCann said after a two-point night. “We’re already halfway, but the whole season is building up toward playoffs. We gotta keep going in the right direction and take this into the new year.”

Life is good now, with the Warriors in second place, but things didn’t start as hoped. Stratford stumbled to a 4-4 start through September while facing many of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s best teams. The low point was a 4-2 loss to Elmira to end the first month, as the Sugar Kings scored four goals in the last seven minutes of the third period and handed the Warriors their third straight loss at Allman Arena.

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Stratford blasted Brantford 16-0 the following night and has gone 14-2-0 over the last eight weeks, a turnaround that has propelled the Warriors into a three-way battle for top spot in the Midwestern Conference with Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.

“I think we’ve just been more consistent,” head coach Dave Williams said recently. “The competitiveness most nights has been better than it was earlier on … and our guys have been working incredibly hard in practice, too. I don’t think they were happy with where we were at the beginning of the season. They had higher expectations and they deserve all the credit for … working really hard and trying to be more consistent, (both) individually and as a group.”

The Warriors are at or near the top of the conference in nearly every team metric. Stratford ranks first in goals allowed per game (2.2) and on the power play (27.8 per cent) and is second in goals scored per game (5.0), goal differential (+68) and on the penalty kill (86.9 per cent).

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“I think it means we have a lot of guys contribute every single night,” McCann said. “Depth is a huge thing on our team. You don’t always expect the same guys to score every night. We’ve got help from top to bottom throughout the lineup, including the goaltenders, so it’s a well-rounded team. We work hard.”

Stratford improved to 3-0 against the Bombers this season, outscoring them 18-3. Friday’s result was tight until the third period, with the Warriors leading 3-1 after the first frame and 4-2 heading into the third.

McCann and Jordan Moulton each had a goal and assist, while Jonas Schmidt, Luke Fritz, Keaton McLaughlin and Jackson McLlwain added single markers. Reid Oliver had three helpers and Cam Daigle chipped in with a pair of assists.

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“Our main objective tonight was to play our game,” McCann said. “I think at points in the game we let that slip, so we have to refocus and get back to how we know we can play and do what we can control, and the rest will cover itself.”

Ethan Sharpe replied for the Bombers. His first goal – a harmless looking shot from inside the blue-line that snuck through Zack Burleigh’s right arm – did more than just tie the game 1-1 at 7:42 of the opening period. It was the first even strength marker Stratford has allowed since Nov. 4 against Listowel, a span of six games.

Stratford starts the season’s second half Sunday against the Cyclones at the Allman (5 p.m.).

“I think we have the skill and systems to be successful, but it just comes down to compete every single night,” McCann said. “If we can do that, we’ll have a really good chance.”

NOTES: Stratford converted four of seven power plays and went 4-for-4 while shorthanded … Burleigh finished with 17 saves, and Caledon’s Matthew Czalij stopped 33 shots … Attendance was 614.

cosmith@postmedia.com