By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
The Morinville Kings faced off against the Westlock Warriors in their annual Brenda Stewart Memorial Game on Saturday at the Morinville Leisure Centre, honouring the cherished legacy of Brenda Stewart, a devoted volunteer for the Sturgeon Hockey Club.
Stewart’s Registrar and Communications Director role significantly impacted the local hockey community. In her memory, the event honours her dedication to youth hockey. This year, the Brenda Stewart Memorial Award was presented to the Weppler family—Mike, Tina, Austin, and Brenna—to recognize their commitment to the community and the values Brenda exemplified.
The game showcased an intense matchup, with the Warriors ultimately besting the Kings. The scoring opened late in the first period when Westlock’s Kyle Dronyk found the net, assisted by Blair Boulerice and Scott Ivey, giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead. The Kings responded at 10:19 with a goal from Romano Morrison, assisted by Aaron Petten, but the Warriors quickly regained control. Dronyk scored again on a power play at 8:49, followed by another from Ivey at 3:53, ending the first period with Westlock leading 3-1.
The second period saw the Warriors continue their offensive push, with Ivey scoring less than a minute into the period, making it 4-1. Blair Boulerice added another goal at 12:25, extending Westlock’s lead to 5-1.
In the third period, the Kings made a valiant effort to rally. Brendan Murray scored a power-play goal at 14:29, bringing the score to 5-2. However, Dronyk responded quickly for the Warriors with his fourth goal of the game at 11:14. The Kings did manage to find the net one more time late in the game, with Maddux Nollski scoring unassisted at 0:42, but it was not enough to overcome the Warriors.
The final score was Westlock Warriors 6, Morinville Kings 3, leaving the Kings with a record of 1-3-0 four games into the season.
The Kings will look to bounce back next Saturday, Nov. 9, when they take on the Lacombe Generals at 8 p.m. at the Morinville Leisure Centre. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the team as they continue their season.
