In the final game before the holiday break, the Lacoka bantam Warriors hung on to earn a 1-1 draw against Red Deer on Dec. 21 at the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex.
The Warriors got on the scoreboard first with just over 13 minutes left in the opening period.
Karlee Feragen won the face-off to the right of the Red Deer net and the puck got back to the point, where a great wrist shot by Brooklyn Raine found the top shelf over the left shoulder of the Red Deer goaltender.
“It was a hard-fought game by both teams and both sides had their chances,” said Warriors head coach Trevor Feragen.
“We had a really good first period and a good third period. Our girls played great, but got tired as we had a short bench.”
Red Deer would score their lone marker with about six minutes gone in the second frame.
The Warriors had to be great later in the period and into the third, after taking three straight penalties over a span of 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, Emma O’Brien was steady in the Lacoka net, turning aside 25 shots. And as the score suggests, the contest was fairly even overall as the shot clock only slightly favoured the Warriors 28-26.
Another draw
Also on Dec. 21, the Lacoka midget Warriors faced off against the West Central Wildcats based in Sylvan Lake, also ending in a 1-1 tie.
All of the scoring came in the opening frame, as the Wildcats’ goal came around nine minutes in. The Warriors followed that with a goal from Amanda Huchkowski, assisted by Cassandra Klinger, with just under six minutes remaining.
Each squad had plenty of opportunities on the powerplay — five a piece — during the contest, but neither side was able to take advantage.
Renee Buffalo had 32 saves on the night for the Warriors, while her teammates peppered the Wildcat net with 43 shots.
