High-speed action, some trickery and huge hits mark the start of the Wolverines’ 2025 playoffexperience

By Serena Lapointe
After a fantastic regular season showing for the Whitecourt Wolverines, fans were likely
expecting no less than that effort or even better as the team headed into the postseason, sitting
atop first place in the AJHL North. And the fans were right to expect it. Their first postseason
series just wrapped up, and it was a tight affair against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
Expectations on the series were mixed, as the two teams had a close battle in the regular
season, and it could have gone either way. It would all come down to who wanted it most.
Games one and two were held back-to-back on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22, and
set the tone for what fans could expect from the series. Around 600 fans took in each game,
raising excitement inside JDA Place. Both games finished with the same score, but each team
took one of the victories, splitting things down the middle right off the bat.
In game one, things started feisty just moments after the first puck drop with hits levelled by
both the Wolverines and Oil Barons, as the players knocked each other around and slammed
each other into the boards. The change from regular season effort to playoff effort was
apparent. Even the speed of the passes between players was cranked skyward a few notches,
and their feet were moving, fast.
Things also looked to be getting a little bit devious. One of the Oil Barons dropped to the ice
after a seemingly mild hit, remaining motionless for a time before needing support from a
teammate and the team’s medical personnel to get to his feet and slowly make his way to the
bench. His demeanour made him look quite hurt, and a penalty against the Wolverines resulted
from the play. However, that same player was back on the ice moments later, still during his
team’s powerplay, skating as if nothing had happened. A ploy? Maybe.
Despite the perceived trickery, the Wolverines pushed forward, with goals from Xavier Lacoste,
Jack Pollock and Jalen Bianchet, taking the win, 3-2. Fans energetically whipped around their
free Whiteout Whitecourt game day towels from Veren, handed out to the first 500 fans in
attendance as they cheered on the home team’s win. The following night, the Oil Barons flipped
the script, winning by the same score, 3-2. Wolverine Dylan Ruptash got both goals for his team
in the loss.
After a couple days of rest, the Wolverines hit the road up to Fort McMurray for games three
and four on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26. Looking back at the road trip, it was
clear that things switched for the Wolverines. Following the loss at home, the team seemed to
put on blinders to the excitement and nervous energy of the playoffs surrounding them and
instead focused on one thing and one thing only, winning.
Tim Kim, Ewan McPherson, Xavier Lacoste and Dylan Ruptash each pocketed goals in the win,
with Wolverine netminder Zac Onyskiw nearly shutting the door on the Oil Barons completely,
allowing only one goal against in the 4-1 victory. In game four the following night, the boys did it

again. This time, Braden Keeble, Tyler Rowland, Xavier Lacoste and Dylan Ruptash scored the
goals, allowing only two against for a 4-2 win.
Heading home for game five, the Wolverines just had to knock the ball into the cup, so to speak,
but it wasn’t going to be that easy. The Wolverines scored to make it 1-0 in the second, and the
Oil Barons scored in the third to tie it up, but the game needed overtime to find its victor. At 3:49,
following some great saves, Wolverine Jalen Bianchet pocketed his second postseason goal,
lifting the hometown fans to their feet and cheering on the team’s successful completion of their
first 2024/2025 playoff round.
Looking at the stats from the first round, one name continued to pop up on the stats sheet;
Wolverine Dylan Ruptash. The Edmonton native landed points in four of the five games, ending
the series with four goals and one assist to his credit. Last season, Ruptash started his AJHL
career playing with the Spruce Grove Saints. In his first regular season with the Whitecourt
Wolverines, Ruptash totalled 45 points, including 24 goals, in 52 games. What a start!
Next up for the Whitecourt Wolverines is a tough battle against the Grande Prairie Storm, a
series that is currently underway as this article hits print. The Storm blanked their first-round
opponent, the Lloydminster Bobcats, 4-0 and the Wolverines are now a wall, standing in their
way of the northern title. The two teams split the regular season with three a piece, so it’s
anybody’s game. Let’s go, Wolverines!
Elsewhere in the AJHL, a big shocker from the south has fans scratching their heads as one of
the favourites to win the division, the Canmore Eagles, were taken out by the Drumheller
Dragons following a huge game-seven loss. The Dragons finished the regular season nine
points below the Eagles, proving that anything can happen in the postseason (who remembers
the Edmonton Oilers from 05/06?). The Canmore Kodiaks are also out of contention, winning
only one game against the southern leader, the Calgary Canucks. That leaves the first-place
and third-place teams from the regular season to face off for the south title.