Playoff-like regular season matchup between the Wolverines and Thunder brings excitement to

JDA Place

Friday night’s matchup between the Whitecourt Wolverines and the Drayton Valley Thunder was

messy. It wasn’t so much that the teams were fighting non-stop or being overly nasty to one

another, but the feel of the game was more like a playoff meeting than an early season one as

players threw themselves in front of the puck and took chances you don’t typically see outside of

the post-season.

Maybe it was because the two teams don’t see each other often, given their divisional positions,

but either way, fans in attendance at JDA Place, all 474 of them, were treated to a fantastic

hockey game.

In the first period, the Whitecourt Wolverines struck first, quickly, getting on the board only forty-

four seconds into the frame. Ethan Short potted his third goal of the season thanks to an assist

from Joey Vetrano, his sixth. Aside from each team taking a penalty, the Wolverines for hooking

and the Thunder for a check-to-the-head, the period ended without much fanfare. The

Wolverines lead 1-0.

In the second period, things went up a notch as the teams transitioned into a quicker pace and

started landing bigger hits. Nearly every time the whistle blew, the tension seemed to grow. The

puck was moving fast from end to end, and the goalies had to be sharp.

Nearly fourteen minutes in, Wolverine Braden Keeble attempted to score his second goal of the

season and was taken down by a Thunder player. A loud whistle blast stopped the play, and all

eyes turned to the ref as he threw up his hand and quickly pointed to center ice. Keeble was

getting a penalty shot!

The local fans were behind him as he made his way to the puck in the middle of the ice and

began his trek toward the Thunder goalie. Keeble made a fantastic move, tricking the goalie,

and shot the puck directly into the open net, making the fans go wild! The Wolverines

were now up 2-0.

In the final period, the Thunder’s push to catch up was clear. In the first minute, the visitors had

landed several big hits, pushing the Wolverines’ tempers up a level. Whitecourt’s team held their

own, kept their composure, and scored the game’s final goal just over two minutes in. Dylan

Ruptash scored his seventh goal of the season, unassisted. Final score from JDA Place:

Wolverines 3, Thunder 0.

At one point, nearly six minutes in, something happened behind Wolverines goalie Zac

Onyskiw’s net. A big, clean hit by Dwayne Jean Jr sent a Thunder player hard into the boards.

The player awkwardly landed and bounced his head against the glass before falling to the ice

with his hands reaching for his helmet.

Thunder players reacted, grabbing onto the Wolverine. One Thunder player wrapped his arms

around Jean Jr and looked to be landing hits. By the time the linesmen pulled them apart, Jean

Jr no longer had his helmet on, and he looked mad as he yelled over the ref&’s shoulder back at

the Thunder player who was doing the same. When the dust cleared, two Thunder players were

penalized, and Dwayne Jean Jr also sat for two minutes.

By the end of the third period, there was a laundry list of penalties. Eleven penalties came out of

the final frame and told the tale of how these two teams played against each other. The

Wolverines had five penalties, including roughing after the whistle and unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Drayton Valley Thunder had six penalties, which looked much the same.

Friday’s game was one of only four meetings for these teams this season. Here’s hoping they

meet in the post-season because if that game had any insight on what a series between them

would look like, the fans would be all for it.

The next two home games for the Whitecourt Wolverines are a weekend stint on Saturday,

October 26 and Sunday, October 27. The first game will be against the Calgary Canucks, and it

is their first matchup this season. Sunday’s game will be against the Drumheller Dragons, and

the Wolverines will be after retribution after losing their last game against the Dragons by only

one goal.

In other Wolverines’ news, veteran forward Kaiden Wiltsie is now a Bobcat after trading to

Lloydminster. Wiltsie tallied 115 games over three seasons, resulting in 65 points. Hunter Motley

has also moved and is now a member of the Olds Grizzlies.