An energetic third period Friday against Waterloo might have been what the Hunter Steel Warriors needed to spark their season.

Trailing 3-1 entering the final frame of its home opener, Stratford scored twice to send the game to overtime. It ended 10 seconds later after Waterloo’s Luka Boggio broke in alone from centre ice and slipped a backhand through Connor Davis’ pads, but Stratford still earned its first point of 2025-26 and showed the kind of resiliency required to survive in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference.

“You’re going to go through some adversity in parts of the season,” Warriors head coach Dave Williams said. “Last year we got off to a really good start and didn’t hit some adversity until later, and maybe with this group we’re going to hit some adv

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