A weekend split for the Whitecourt Wolverines

The Whitecourt Wolverines kicked off a weekend homestand on Saturday evening against the Blackfalds Bulldogs. The home squad played in front of 301 fans on the first night and 278 fans on Sunday afternoon. Starting with Saturday’s match-up, Blackfalds opened up the scoring at the three-and-a-half mark of the first period. Though the scoreboard didn’t change for the rest of the first frame, the penalties were plenty. The Bulldogs faced four, including cross-checking, interference, holding, and one game misconduct, resulting in a ten-minute break for one player. The Wolverines also had four penalties. Caleb MacDonald was responsible for two of them, head-butting and hooking, Chase Broda for cross-checking, and Travis Baker sat for two for a dive.

In the second period, the Wolverines got on the board thanks to Cooper Smyl, assisted by Christiano Aiello and Alex Dominique. Unlike the period before it, the second didn’t see any penalties, and the period ended with a tie, 1-1. Meanwhile, the third period saw two goals. Blackfalds scored at 8:35, taking the lead 2-1. With fifteen seconds to spare before the final buzzer, the Whitecourt Wolverines ripped one past the Blackfalds netminder to tie things up. The goal by Thomas Vela, assisted by Chase Broda and Travis Baker, brought fans to their feet. It was time for overtime! Though they fought bravely, the Wolverines couldn’t complete the comeback, losing to Blackfalds 3-2. 

On Sunday, the Drumheller Dragons flew into the Scott Safety Centre to take on the home team. The first twenty minutes were uneventful, with no scoring and only five minor penalties. In the second frame, the Whitecourt Wolverines unleashed, scoring three times. Goals from Cooper Smyl, Tyler Mahan, and Christiano Aiello put the hometown boys ahead in a big way. Before the end of the period, the Drumheller Dragons managed to get one past the Wolverines netminder. In the final twenty minutes, the Whitecourt Wolverines grabbed one more goal, from Grayson Dietrich (unassisted), for a final score of 4-1.

With only five home games through October, local fans will be happy to know that the Whitecourt Wolverines have eight games at home in November. There are five games at the Scott Safety Centre scheduled between November 6 and November 17 and three scheduled between November 24 and November 28. The full schedule is viewable at www.whitecourtwolverines.ca.