Wolverines back in home barn after long road trip that lasted three weeks

Ever since the regular season opened on September 13 with a doubleheader against the Bonnyville Pontiacs at the Scott Safety Centre, the Whitecourt Wolverines have spent much of the last chunk of time on the road visiting other arenas. Following their game on September 17 against the Grande Prairie Storm, local fans had to wait nearly a month until the next home game on Tuesday, October 8.

With more fans in attendance than the previous home game, the Wolverines hit the ice ready to give the crowd a reason to be excited. In the first period, Spencer Augot alongside Ethan Leyer and Kaleb Ergang, rocketed one past the Drayton Valley Thunder goaltender on the powerplay and stirred fans up into a frenzy. Excitement delivered!

In the second period, both teams played hard, and the action bounced back and forth like a yo-yo as each line pushed the puck into the other end. Neither team managed to get one in despite Drayton Valley having two powerplays, and the Wolverines one. In the third period, Drayton Valley was finally able to capitalize on a powerplay opportunity and tied the game after Wolverine Garin Butler took a four-minute penalty for roughing. 

Shortly after that, the Whitecourt Wolverines answered by notching their second goal of the night thanks to a wicked shot by Ethan Leyer. In the final minutes of the game, the visitors pulled their goalie to tie things up, but the attempt was futile as the Wolverines ended up sliding the puck into the empty net for a 3-1 victory.

Towards the end of the week, on October 12, the Wolverines welcomed the Bonnyville Pontiacs to Whitecourt for a 7:30 p.m. tussle. The home team opened things up in a big way by scoring twice in the first seven minutes. The Pontiacs were able to get on the board before the period was over, but that would be their last. In the second period, the Wolverines scored another two, making it 4-1. The third period ended without adding any other goals to the scoreboard, giving the Wolverines the victory. The game was highly entertaining for fans as it featured 27 penalties between the two teams with the majority handed to the visitors.

The next three home games for the Wolverines are October 19 against the Okotoks Oilers, Sunday, October 20 against the Canmore Eagles at 2:30 p.m., and October 22 against the Sherwood Park Crusaders.