The claws are out, and teeth are bared as the Wolverines battle to hold a top-five spot in the AJHL

The Whitecourt Wolverines took lessons from their namesake during two big games last week against
close competitors on the stats board. With a declining number of regular season games left to play, the
local squad is working hard to add as many points to their total as possible as soon as possible.
The first game came mid-week against the Drumheller Dragons. With only one point between the two
rivals going into the game, both knew how important a win would be. A crowd of 433 fans were in the
seats for the Wednesday night game at JDA Place.
Much of the first period went by without a fuss, with just one penalty call in the first three minutes
against Drumheller. The period went by fast as the puck flew from one end to the other. The Dragons
goalie, Jameson Kaine, was spotted grooving to the music between the few stoppages in play as he kept
himself loose.
After some skirmishes behind the net following great chances by the Wolverines and two significant
impacts, one involving a member of both teams colliding at the blue line and another involving a ref who
was taking out between the benches, the puck finally did what the hometown fans wanted. At 17:47,
less than three minutes left in the period, Colby Browne, assisted by Jalen Bianchet and Kaiden Wiltsie,
put the Wolverines up by one.
Less than two minutes later, the fans would get another reason to cheer. With an incredible two-on-one
play, Spencer Rheaume, assisted by Dylan Leslie and Jarred Feist, snuck in past the Drumheller
goaltender, giving the Whitecourt Wolverines a 2-0 lead to end the first.
In the second, things started earlier. Drumheller scored a quick one at 2:32 of the period, bringing them
within one goal of tying it up. Just over three minutes later, Spencer Rheaume scored his second of the
game and gave his team another two-goal lead. What made this one special was that Wolverine Travis
Verbeek was in the penalty box, but being shorthanded didn’t stop the Wolverines from increasing their
lead.
The Drumheller Dragons then took three back-to-back penalties over a four-minute stretch for tripping,
holding the stick and interference, and the Wolverines took full advantage. Freshly freed from the
penalty box, Travis Verbeek scored his 19th goal of the season, with assists from Matthew Ronn and
Dylan Leslie, his 17th assist of the season and third of the night. The Wolverines now had a solid lead.
Still on the powerplay, the Wolverines pushed forward, looking for another. Fifty seconds into their
third-man advantage of the period, Colby Browne notched in his second of the night and 19th goal of
the season, assisted by Jalen Bianchet and Braden Keeble.
Try as they might, the Dragons could not dig themselves out of the hole of three unanswered Wolverine
goals. They did manage to score one before the second ended, but that was it. The Wolverines won 5-2
and snatched two big points away from their rivals.
The second home game of the week came on Friday night against the Sherwood Park Crusaders. The
Crusaders are the second-place team in the AJHL standings, and as of Friday, January 5, the Wolverines

were in fifth place, with the Bonnyville Pontiacs and Drumheller Dragons hot on their tales. Getting at
least one point out of the game was a must.
In the first period, almost halfway through, the Sherwood Park Crusaders struck first, taking a 1-0 lead
over the Wolverines. Before the period ended, the Wolverines tied things up thanks to an unassisted
marker from Spencer Rheaume. The Crusaders had two penalties, while the Wolverines had one.
Neither goal was on the powerplay.
In the second, Sherwood Park once again stepped ahead first, making it 2-1 at 11:44. Precisely one
minute later, at 12:44, Jarred Feist scored his ninth goal of the season assisted by Jalen Bianchet and
Colby Browne, his 25th assist of the season. Things were once again tied up. Before the period ended,
Sherwood Park tipped one in, giving themselves the lead for the third time.
For the game’s final twenty minutes, the Wolverines had one mission: score a goal. Each line that
hopped the boards worked hard, pushing to get the puck in their possession and tie the game. Their
hard work was rewarded quickly as Colby Browne passed a beauty to Spencer Rheaume, who popped it
into the Crusader’s net. The 488 fans in attendance were in for a treat with some extra hockey time.
In overtime, players from both teams were hungry. The Crusaders wanted the extra point as they
continued to climb towards first place in the league, and the Wolverines wanted it to add space
between themselves and the teams just below them in the standings, but only one could get their way.
With just over a minute left to play, the Crusaders scored a heartbreaker, stealing the win from the
Wolverines, 4-3.
Fans can catch their team in action this weekend on Friday or Saturday night. The Wolverines take on
the Olds Grizzlys on Friday, January 12, and the Canmore Eagles the next night. After that, the
Wolverines hit the road for a long stretch of away games and won’t return to JDA Place until February 2
against the Okotoks Oilers.