The Stratford Warriors defeated the London Nationals 6-3 on March 25, 2026, to win their playoff series at the William Allman Memorial Arena in Stratford, Ontario. This victory in the seventh and final game of the series allows the team to move on to the second round of the postseason.
Dominic Marshall, a local player, and teammate Coen Galbraith led the team by scoring four goals each throughout the series against London. Goaltender Noah Bender helped secure the win by making 26 saves during the final game. This was the first time in three years that the team has played a seventh game of a playoff series on their home ice.
A crowd of 1,212 fans filled the historic arena to watch the win, with some supporters having to park more than half a kilometre away. The game was so popular that the snack bar ran out of hot dogs and nachos early in the second period. The 50-50 prize for the night ended up being more than $1,600.
The team will now play the Chatham Maroons in the next round of the Greater Ontario Hockey League playoffs. This upcoming series is a rematch of last year when Chatham, the current defending champion, knocked the Warriors out of the tournament.
