The KLAA West Howell Warriors #5 (D1) shot up US23 this past weekend to line up against the SVL Chargers from Flint Powers. A contest that stood out on the schedule from some early noise being made by the Warriors who possessed a 9-3-1 record. The Chargers on the other hand sitting at 8-3 #6 (D3) headed into midseason.

The Warriors jumped on the board quickly, splitting the Charger defense at the blueline 2 on 0 beating netminder Blake Zloto. At 11:35, the Warriors put the Chargers in a hole on a wrister deflected off a Charger from the point making it 2-0. The Chargers diffused a Warrior power play just before the period ended.

The Warriors dug the hole a little deeper at the 10:46 mark of the second period when they snuck in on the doorstep with a backdoor rebound, bumping the lead 3-0. Then the Charger power play served up an opportunity to be only exhausted by the Warriors. At 4:52, senior Nolan Berner was credited for the first Charger goal on a deflection off the Warrior defender’s leg. With 39 seconds on the clock, sophomore Ayden Cook found senior Brendan Sly for the slot snipe to come within one (3-2). Netminder Zloto distinguished a couple key Warrior threats just before the Chargers were bound for the dressing room.

The Chargers carried the momentum into the third period executing on their third power play attempt. At 9:18, the Chargers knotted it up at three a piece on Berner’s second goal of the day. Junior Andrew Parmentier surveyed the Warrior zone, slid the puck over to Cook, who then meticulously tee it up for Berner’s one time slapper on the top of the circle past Warrior goaltender Andrew Klei. Minutes later, sophomore Parker Bendall in the right spot at the right time near the goal mouth, sent home the go ahead tally to lift the Chargers 4-3. Despite the Charger second and third period dominance, their undisciplined trips to the penalty box proved to be their Achilles heel, as the Warriors netted the equalizer to send the battle to OT. And then a few minutes into overtime, an unmatched Howell forward out front between the hash marks slipped one five-hole on Zloto for the win.

Final: Powers 4 Howell 5 (ot)

Next games:

Wednesday, Jan. 10th @ University Liggitt, 7pm - McCann Ice Arena, Cook Rd, Grosse Pointe Woods

Saturday, Jan. 13th v Detroit Country Day, 3pm - Flint Iceland Arena (Skate with a Charger Night