Sunday matinee action for the Wolverines

The Whitecourt Wolverines took on the Drayton Valley Thunder in an afternoon matchup at the Scott Safety Centre on Sunday, December 8. Just under 700 fans took in the matinee action which started off fast and furious. Drayton Valley took the honour of sitting in the penalty box first and the visiting players seemed to enjoy it so much that they took a total of six penalties in the first 20 minutes.

Whitecourt, by contrast, only took two. The first powerplay the home team had was all they needed to put a puck in the net. At 6:04 of the first period, Ethan Leyer from Bjorn Robinson and Adam Sandstrom put the Wolverines in the lead. After such an action-packed first period which included a fight between Wolverine Garin Butler and the Thunder’s Jeremy Klessens, fans were likely expecting more of the same in the second period. Oddly enough, the first period seemed to get all the angst out leaving the second to be relatively quiet with only three penalties.

The Wolverines took a cross-checking penalty less than two minutes into the period and another penalty at 13:46 after Bjorn Robinson hooked a Thunder player. Whitecourt goalie Vincent Duplessis kept his team in it and didn’t let one shot get through to the net. Following the 20 minutes, the Wolverines were up by two after a full-strength goal from Warren Marcotte at 7:40.

In the third period, the Wolverines kept the pressure on and potted in a third goal thanks to Dylan Leslie at 11:51. After such a penalty ridden first period, the final frame had one lone penalty against Drayton Valley. The Wolverines were one for five on the powerplay but managed to shut out the visitors 3-0. Shots on net were equal as both teams tallied for 30.

The next action for the Wolverines will be at home at the Scott Safety Centre on Friday, December 13 against the Thunder, and on Saturday night against the Brooks Bandits. The final game for the Wolverines before Christmas break will be at home on December 21 against the Spruce Grove Saints. The new year will also kick off at home with back-to-back games at the Scott Safety Centre on January 3 and 4 against the Olds Grizzlys and Drumheller Dragons.