The Vancouver Warriors showed resolve against a strong San Diego Seals team at Rogers Arena, proving yet again this season that they can win under pressure, scoring eight goals in the final quarter to secure a come-from-behind 11-9 victory over the San Diego Seals before 9551 excited fans on Country Night at Rogers Arena.
It was a tight game all the way, the Warriors taking their first lead with just six minutes left in the game. The Warriors had good offensive possession time through the first 45 minutes, but the floodgates finally opened for eight goals in the fourth quarter.
Warriors’ General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky knew going into the game it was going to be a war of attrition. The group played composed and disciplined with their shots starting to finally fall in bunches during the final frame.
“We just try to stick to the process and just play the shift in front of us, and I think that’s something that made us successful so far this year,” Malawsky said. “When you get the results after staying in the fight and being resilient – and our guys don’t scoreboard watch, we play where our feet are. They always say that sports is 90% mental, and I think that’s a big part of it for us is that mentally we were strong.”
The largest lead by either team was the Seals’ 6-3 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Everyone contributed, from the Warriors’ veteran defensive core shutting down the Seals to the selflessness of the Warriors’ offence, there’s belief in the room and confidence in themselves and each other, which makes them trust the process.
“We just stayed in the game and kept it close. We had guys make big plays, and I thought, [Aden Walsh] Walshy was outstanding, and the face off guy [Alec Stathakis] got us a ball almost every time we needed it, and our defence is pretty physical,” Malawsky said.
Stathakis went 18 for 24 off the draw and Walsh made 44 saves.
Walsh gave credit to the defensive core for sacrificing their bodies, allowing him to get eyes on the ball, and forcing the Seals to take some tough shots.
“They’re giving me great shots [to look at]. They’re really the backbone of the team, against Calgary it was 20-plus blocked shots, I can only imagine it was similar tonight,” Walsh said.
The Warriors’ defencemen tallied eight blocked shots against the Seals and collected 72 loose balls, compared to the Seals’ 58 collected.
Keegan Bal finished the game with seven points (6G, 1A), with all six of his goals coming in the final frame.
“He had a hot stick and as a coach, you try to feed the hot stick,” Malawsky said. “We had some good looks on the power play, Kev [Kevin Crowley] created some space for him, and Keegan hit his shots. He’s always been a gamer, a big game player, and tonight, he really showed up.”
The Warriors made adjustments on the power play throughout the game that helped them go two for two on the man advantage in the final fifteen minutes. Their power play converted three of five opportunities on the evening (they were one for three coming into the fourth quarter). Adam Charalambides scored the first power play goal and Bal notched the other two.
“Our offence was getting good chances, we just weren’t burying for the first three quarters, and we just really had to bear down,” Bal said.
The Seals eliminated the Warriors from the possibility of a playoff berth last season and both Bal and Walsh said they thought about that throughout the week as they prepared for the game. They want to win every night, so it didn’t change how they prepared for the matchup, but it was just a bit of extra motivation.
Bal spoke highly of Vancouver’s 23-year-old goaltender, who has been in net for all four games this season and is handling the pressure with maturity.
“He’s [Walsh] playing amazing. He’s shutting the door when we really need him. I can’t speak highly enough of how he’s playing,” Bal said. “I think he’s making very timely saves. He just brings a confident energy to him and he’s a fighter – he’s not scared of the moment; he’s not scared of any shooter. He’s willing to take anyone one on one.”
Adam Charalambides finished the game with four points (2G, 2A), Reid Bowering and Owen Grant and three points, Bowering (1G, 2A), Grant (2G, 1A) in the win.
The Warriors will pack their 3-1 record with them as they head to the East Coast for Week 8 action. Vancouver has two games next weekend, playing the Ottawa Blackbears on Friday, January 17th at 4 p.m. PT and the Philadelphia Wings on Sunday, January 19th at 3 p.m. PT.
The Warriors will be back at Rogers Arena Friday, January 24th to take on the Blackbears. For season tickets, group tickets, premium options, and all ticketing options, please go to vancouverwarriors.com for all the details.
