Warriors boys hockey team wraps up season

Mike Lawrence - Staff Writer

There was a packed house at the Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena on April 1 as the Sioux North High School Warriors boys hockey team took on the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Saints for their first playoff game of the season. An energetic crowd helped cheer the team to a 3-2 win, allowing the Warriors to advance.
Warriors boys hockey team Head Coach Austen Hoey noted after the game, “That was definitively one of the more exciting games I’ve been part of!” 
Hoey continued, “That was the most full I’ve seen that building in a long time. Just with Sioux Lookout being such a hockey town, the fact that people were able to come out and support the team meant a lot. When the guys didn’t think they had any more in them, they heard that crowd.”
Despite an injury taking forward Brandon Masakayash out of the game in the second period, the boys managed to push on in the third period and took the game with a tie breaking goal with 34.4 seconds left on the clock. 
Speaking with Hoey it’s clear he couldn’t be prouder of his team.
“The game got off to a really good start. We wanted to make sure that we used our speed. That’s one thing we have that not a lot of other teams have, is three lines of really fast guys. We feel we are able to push the pace that way and that’s what we did in this game. We had a couple of really solid shifts and then were rewarded with a goal from Sean Cole (from Briar Edwards), who has been so good for us all year. That whole line of (Cole), Brier Edwards, and Braeyden Lilly have really blossomed into a great line for us.
“Into the second, we made some mistakes, but I thought our second period was really quite strong. I told the guys in our second intermission that they were starting to find their game a little bit more.”
The second goal of the evening came from Keenan Fontaine, from Marek McKay and Henry Davis, 
“I was really happy for Keenan Fontaine and Henry Davis. They also had a really solid game,” Hoey said. 
Colin Davis managed the third goal that took the boys to the win with Keenan Fontaine and Cam Roy assisting. 
Hoey added, “I told them, near the end... ‘This place is ready to blow and if you guys can keep moving, another goal is gonna come.’ When it did, I don’t think I’ve ever heard... for how small our building is, for how many people are in there, that’s the loudest I’ve heard a rink.”
Friday’s win had the Warriors off to Kenora on April 3 for an afternoon game against the Beaver Brae Broncos.
As Hoey relates, that game didn’t go as well as hoped, stating, “Unfortunately, we lost that game 4-0.
It was a hard-fought game; we had a lot of solid chances but the puck luck just wasn’t on our side.”
Hoey added, “It was a solid game, and I’m really proud of the boys for battling through all the adversity they faced this season. Getting shut down for a month in January, not thinking we would be having play-offs then having them. The fact that the boys were able to battle through, is something very special.” 
With this season now done, looking ahead to next season, Hoey stated, “We have a huge sense of optimism going into next year. Can’t say we are happy with how the season ended, but we think we have a very real chance to do something very special next season.”