“It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in town” – in-game Wolverines host reacts to dazzling game seven win

By Serena Lapointe

Since the start of the postseason, the Whitecourt Wolverines have given their fans lots
to cheer for. They’ve also made them hold their breath in wild anticipation, especially
during chaotic overtime periods with everything on the line. Whether it’s spectators in
the seats, team volunteers hard at work, or the owners in the box, the excitement has
been on a whole other level.
Melissa Baker has been capturing the Whitecourt Wolverines as the official team
photographer for years. Game seven last Tuesday night at JDA Place, between the
Whitecourt Wolverines and the Grande Prairie Storm, was unlike anything she had
experienced before, with over 1200 people in the stands. It was the third highest
attendance ever, and the highest since the team’s inaugural season in 2012/2013. “You
couldn’t even hear yourself. The glass was moving! If you closed your eyes, you
wouldn’t know if it was an offside call or a goal because the crowd was so loud. Their
reactions made every play seem like such a big deal.”
For Baker, who wanders to different spots during the game to capture different angles,
hanging out at the players’ entrance between periods and after the game gave her a
perspective she won’t forget. “Getting to watch the full emotion of the
players and the kids and fans as they come on and off the ice is nothing short of
spectacular. They are absolute heroes to those kids. Watching the players hype the kids
up as they lean as far as they can over the railing to get a fist bump is everything good
in this sport,” she recounted.
Over the years, Baker has seen the highs and lows. “I love this team, whether there’s
100 people in the stands or 1000, but the whole experience of the community coming
out and being so loud and engaged is so much more special. This Wolverine’s team is
nothing like we’ve had before. You know they are playing for more than their name on
the back. They’re in this for the fans just as much as they are for themselves.”

For co-owner Terriann Massé, a full arena means one word: community. “There’s
nothing quite like it. Seeing the arena full reminds us why we took this on in the first
place. When the stands are packed, you can feel the energy, the pride, and the
connection in the building. It’s incredibly rewarding to see Whitecourt come together like
that, and it means everything to us and to the organization.”
For the players, Massé said the difference of having a full rink is incomparable. “It
makes a huge difference. All of these young athletes come from out of town, and to step
onto the ice and feel that level of support it gives them a real sense of belonging. It lifts

their confidence, fuels their energy, and pushes them to give more. They notice it, they
talk about it, and it absolutely impacts how they play,” she explained.
Although high attendance always helps, Massé said seeing it in the postseason is
critical. “Playoff hockey is intense, and every little edge matters. A loud, supportive
crowd can shift momentum, build belief, and help the players dig deeper when it counts.
Knowing the community is behind them gives them that extra drive; it reminds them
they’re playing for something bigger than themselves.”
For Tony Lightning-Vanderhammen, the team’s in-game host, the energy was sky high
for game seven. “I’ve been to a lot of games, and the energy in that building was
different. It was like the crowd was living the game, every low, every high, you could
hear through gasps and cheers. While we definitely have that on usual games, it was
turned up to 11. There was one part where I was just hyping up the crowd, and hearing
1200+ voices brought a smile to me that I could not stop. Getting a crowd invested is
one thing but getting a crowd that big invested was like pure euphoria.”
Lightning-Vanderhammen said that although there were a lot of Grande Prairie fans at
the game, the crowd gave the visual of what more than ten percent of Whitecourt’s
population looks like. He said that’s a visual he won’t forget anytime soon. “It just made
the scope and scale of everything so much bigger. It’s so much more fun to have a
building packed with fans, the team feels it, the players feel it, it radiates in every aspect
of the game and the culture that the Wolverines have built. You can even rewatch that

game-winning goal, and just from Wyatt Zieger’s call, you can tell it makes all the
difference. Probably a decent amount of that excitement came from winning the series,
too, but that crowd’s intensity radiated throughout everyone in that building.”
For longtime fan Marc-Alain Danis, the game seven at JDA Place brought back
memories of watching the Wolverines 20 years ago. “It was really nice! They
overpowered Grande Prairie the whole game. I am really surprised it went to overtime. It
felt like the win they had 20 years ago in the finals. It brought back memories.”
The winning goal, scored in overtime by #11 Brendan Ruskouski, which snuffed out the
Grande Prairie Storm, sending the Wolverines to the league finals against the Camrose
Eagles, was made extra special by the fact that Ruskouski had scored an overtime win
in game five, making him the lucky charm for overtime battles. The series between the
Storm and Wolverines needed seven games to wrap up. The first round against the Fort
McMurray Oil Barons only went to five games. Time will tell how many games it takes
for the final series against the Canmore Eagles, which will be two games in by the time
this article hits the paper.
Should the Wolverines bring the series back to JDA Place on Saturday, April 25, Massé
hopes to see the arena packed once again. “This is the moment. Our team has worked

incredibly hard to get here, and now they need their community behind them more than
ever. If you’ve been to a game before, you know how special it is, and if you haven’t,
these are the ones to come to. Bring your family, wear your colours, and be part of
something exciting. Let’s pack the arena and show these players what Whitecourt is all
about!” And no matter the result, be proud, Whitecourt!