The Saints, the Wolverines, and the refs

It was a battle of the first and second-place teams on Friday night at the Scott Safety Centre. The Spruce Grove Saints have dominated the North Division for much of the season, with 80 points in the basket as of Friday, February 4. The Whitecourt Wolverines have been chasing the Saints for weeks. The Saints will win the northern race with only a few games left before playoffs begin. The real question is, will the Wolverines hold on to second place?

Four hundred and fifty fans filled the arena for Friday’s game and were loud from start to finish. The referees and officials were given notice several times that the fanbase disapproved of calls, with a chorus of boos filling the Scott Safety Centre. Fans were thunderous after a goal was called back against the Wolverines and loud again when a Saints goal was allowed, even though the Wolverines’ net was off its moorings. For the players, it was a mad dash from the first puck drop.

In the first period, the Spruce Grove Saints faced a double minor penalty early on for a knee-on-knee hit. Teams traded penalties in the period, each with two, but it was the Saints who made the scoresheet, scoring at 7:48. It was the only goal of the period.

In the second period, there was no scoring to speak of, but there was plenty of action. At 1:47, Brandon Spaulding of the Saints and Matthew Sutter of the Wolverines took off-setting minors for roughing. It was a sign of things to come. The Saints took four penalties through the second, and the Wolverines took six. Offences included high-sticking, roughing, hooking, holding the stick and goalie interference.

The opinions from the stands primarily were that the officials won the period. Almost every whistle blast resulted in pushing and shoving, raising the tempers on the ice higher and higher as the period continued. Wolverine Matthew Sutter sat for two more penalties before the period ended. Things were getting dicey. 

It was all hands on deck in the final twenty minutes of the game. The Wolverines came out firing, looking for the equalizer. At 2:38 of the period, Jonah Bevington found it, scoring an unassisted marker shorthanded, while his teammate Michael Lovsin sat in the penalty box. The fans erupted. A choir of letters was shouted out on the left side of the rink, spelling out WOLVERINES, as the hometown faithful cheered a tied game.

Shortly after the tying goal, the Spruce Grove Saints took back their lead, 2-1. The Wolverines had three chances on the powerplay through the remainder of the third but couldn’t get another one past the Saint’s netminder. It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. The Wolverines riffled 43 shots toward the Saint’s goalie. The Saints only had 33 shots on the net, in comparison. Neither team scored on the powerplay, though each had many chances, the Wolverines with five, the Saints with seven.

The final score from the Scott Safety Centre on Friday night was 3-1 for the Saints after they grabbed an empty netter. There are less than a dozen games left in the regular season. Wolverine’s fans have three more chances to catch a regular season home game. The Wolverines welcome the Grande Prairie Storm to the Scott Safety Centre on Friday, February 10. The final two home games of the regular season are a Friday/Saturday night doubleheader against the Bonnyville Pontiacs on February 24 and 25.