You win some, and you lose some

The Whitecourt Wolverines were in action last week with two home games. On Wednesday, February 9, things kicked off against the Drayton Valley Thunder at 7:30 pm. A small crowd of fans, 248, took in the game, which started well for the home squad. Midway through the first period, on the powerplay, Wolverines Travis Baker ripped one past the Thunder goaltender thanks to assists from Caleb MacDonald and Jayden Watson. The Thunder responded a little over four minutes later, tying things up.

In the second period things opened up in a big way, but unfortunately for the Wolverines, it wasn’t in their favour. The Drayton Valley Thunder came in hot, scoring 52 seconds into the frame and taking the lead 2-1. At the 3:47 mark, they scored again, taking their lead to 3-1. The Whitecourt Wolverines took a penalty for having too many players on the ice halfway through the period. Being down a man for two minutes proved unfortunate as the Thunder extended their lead to 4-1. By the end of the second period, the Thunder were up 5-1. In the third period, the Whitecourt Wolverines managed to get one lone goal on the board, bringing their tally to two on the night, but it wasn’t near enough to dig themselves out of the 5-2 deficit. The home star for the game was Travis Baker for his powerplay goal to start the game and his strong presence on the ice even in the loss.

Game two for the week came on Friday, February 11, against the Lloydminster Bobcats. In this matchup, the Wolverines were not first on the board, and the change seemed to be to their benefit. Down by a goal, Wolverine Thomas Vela riffled one past the Bobcats goalie, tying the game 1-1 at the end of the first.

In the second period, things got a little angsty with many penalties. The Bobcats had six penalties for cross-checking, roughing, holding, slashing, and a game misconduct. The Whitecourt Wolverines only had three in comparison, two for slashing and one for holding. Only the Bobcats managed to score through the mess, giving them a lead heading into the final frame, 2-1.

Whatever Coach Shawn Martin said in the dressing room during the second intermission worked wonders for the Wolverines. Jackson Bohan, from Alex Dominique, notched one in, just three minutes and forty-three seconds into the third, bringing his team even with the visitors, 2-2. That would prove to be just the beginning of something great.

Less than a minute later, Thomas Vela, from Dylan Leslie, gave the Whitecourt Wolverines their first lead of the game, 3-2. At the six-minute mark, things got a bit crazy again. The Bobcats recorded seven penalties throughout the period, but it was the game misconduct to Chad MacLean for checking from behind that ultimately sealed the Bobcats fate. On the ensuing powerplay, the Whitecourt Wolverines scored their final goal of the night from Tyler Mahan, assisted by Travis Baker and Caleb MacDonald.

The next games at the Scott Safety Centre start on Friday, February 25, a doubleheader against the Bonnyville Pontiacs.