Military Appreciation Night at JDA Place results in massive win for the Whitecourt Wolverines

The Blackfalds Bulldogs are in the top three for point totals in the AJHL, with 35 in the bag as of
November 11. Third place in the league means they’re strong and are a hard group to line up against for
any of the teams below them, including the Whitecourt Wolverines. The Bulldogs also happened to be
the seventh-highest-ranked team in the Canadian Junior Hockey League standings.
After a challenging start to the year, the hometown Wolverines sat in tenth with twenty-two points to
their name, thirteen less than the Bulldogs. A match-up between the two would either be a welcomed
surprise or an expected result. On Saturday night at JDA Place, the 594 fans in attendance got a very
welcomed surprise. The Remembrance Day game invited retired and active duty members to watch for
free—a moment of silence before the puck drop honoured their sacrifice.
In the first period, fan favourite #91 Colby Browne scored his tenth goal of the season thanks to a
beautiful pass from his teammate, #7 Jack Franklin, his ninth. The goal nearly blew the roof off the arena
as fans responded hugely, excited to see their team take the early lead against the Bulldogs. The goal
stood firm through the rest of the period, ending the first with a 1-0 lead for the Wolverines.
In the second, there were two penalties, one to each team, for high sticking and holding. Aside from
that, on paper, the game looked empty of action with no other penalties and no goals; however, it was
far from empty. The action bouncing from end to end was electric.
The Wolverines goalie, Ben Charette, made save after save. Whenever he batted a puck from midair or
kicked one off his pads into the corner, his teammates took his energy and shot down to the other end
of the ice. The fast-paced period was a watch-it-or-you’ll-miss-it type of thing and kept fans in their
seats.
In the third, the Wolverines were still nursing their 1-0 lead and were hoping to grow it. The team had
several great chances but couldn’t get another one past the Bulldog’s netminder. Three penalties were
called against the Wolverines early, making fans nervous, but Charette kept his team in it and didn’t let
in one powerplay goal.
Elijah Brown (#6, D) sat twice, once for hooking and another for boarding, and Kaiden Wiltsie did the
same, sitting twice, including for a high-sticking double minor. Chance after chance was given to the
Bulldogs to tie things up, but they just couldn’t beat Charette. With about three and a half minutes left
in the game, Jarred Feist received a perfect pass from Spencer Rheaume. With a flick of the wrist, Feist
managed to beat the Bulldogs goalie and land the puck into the net. Cue the crowd! It was now 2-0
Wolverines!
Hoping to get back into the game and score two quick goals, the Blackfalds Bulldogs pulled their goalie.
Charette buckled down and never took his eyes off the puck. He gave everything he had to keep his
team in the lead. With a double minor penalty being served and the goalie pulled in the Bulldogs zone,
the Wolverines were down by two with two minutes to go.
With just two seconds left in the period, Travis Verbeek, from Joey Melo and Jack Franklin, scored to
make it 3-0. The shorthanded marker was the perfect ending to a fairytale game for the Wolverines,
beating the seventh-highest-ranked team in the country. Go, Wolverines! The next two home games will

be on Wednesday, November 15, against Bonnyville and Thursday, November 16, against Fort
McMurray.