Wolverines Hockey is back for another year, in Whitecourt’s newly named JDA Place

The time for AJHL hockey has arrived in Whitecourt! Fans of the Whitecourt Wolverines kicked off the
2023/2024 season on Friday and Saturday night at the newly minted JDA Place, previously known as the
Scott Safety Centre. The first match-up for the hometown squad was against the Camrose Kodiaks, and
it was a nail-biter.
Something new for the team this year is that there are co-captains. The Wolverines have never had a
pair of captains sharing the leadership role at season kick-off. Colby Browne and Dylan Leslie are the two
taking on the big job.
The first period was a blowout for the visitors, with two goals in the first seven minutes and twenty
seconds. The 751 fans in the stands grew slightly anxious watching their team go down by two so
quickly, but hope was not lost. With just three minutes left, new Wolverine forward Joey Melo (#20)
sniped a shot past the Kodiak goalie and got his team on the board. The Kodiaks got one more goal
before the period ended, closing the first period of the 2023/2024 season with the Wolverines down by
two.
In the second period, fans were whipped into a frenzy at exactly the five-minute mark thanks to second-
year favourite Colby Browne. The Evergreen, Colorado native received assists from Matthew Sutter and
Braden Keeble, with all three nabbing their first points of the season. Aside from three Kodiak penalties,
the second period ended without much fanfare.
In the third, newcomer #92 Jaxon Priddle, who hails from Sarnia, Ontario, scored his first goal as a
Wolverine thanks to assists from Caleb MacDonald and Jalen Bianchet. The goal scored early in the
period, tied things up at three a piece. Fans were ecstatic and ready for their first overtime of the
season.
The Wolverines had two close calls thanks to two penalties to the Kodiaks, hooking and high-sticking,
but couldn’t get past the visitor’s goalie, Charlie Zolin. After an excruciating extra frame, the Kodiaks and
Wolverines had only one thing left to do: a shootout.
The Kodiaks chose #18 Alexander Bryson and #88 Rhett Miller as their shooters, while the Wolverines
chose #91 Colby Browne and #71 Kaiden Wiltsie. The Kodiaks scored on both attempts, and their goalie
kept the cage shut when the Wolverines attempted. Camrose took the game 4-3.
The next night, on Saturday, September 16, the Brooks Bandits rolled into town, hoping to steal a game
away from the Wolverines. After a hard-fought loss the night before, the home team was eager to give
their local fans a big win. With 677 in attendance, the Wolverines had work to do, given the Bandits
were the reigning champs from last season’s AJHL playoffs and bound to be one tough cookie.
The game’s first whistle came just one minute and thirty-three seconds in when Wolverine Elijah Brown
was called for tripping. As he sat for two in the sin bin, the Bandits scored and took an early lead. Nearly
halfway through the period, Spencer Rheaume, who took countless hits throughout the game, was
called for holding. The Wolverines worked hard to kill off the penalty, knock the puck off several sticks,
and survive the two minutes. Unfortunately for the home team, twenty-two seconds after the successful
penalty kill, the Bandits scored, increasing their lead to 2-0.

Neither team added to the scoreboard in the second period, but there were five penalties. The Brooks
Bandits sat twice, once for interference and once for tripping, while the Whitecourt Wolverines sat
three times. Tatarenko took two penalties, one for checking from behind and the other for game
misconduct.
Things didn’t get any better in the third. Two goals from the Brooks Bandits doubled the lead to 4-0,
creating a deep hole for the Wolverines to try and climb out of. Though they fought valiantly against the
refs and the Bandits, the Wolverines couldn’t break through the impenetrable wall at the other end of
the ice.
Following the challenging weekend opener, the Wolverines will hit the road and look to right the ship by
slotting games into the win column. The team will head down south for five games, including two AJHL
Showcase games at the Max Bell Centre in Calgary. The Wolverines will be back in Whitecourt at JDA
Place on Thursday, October 5, to take on the Blackfalds Bulldogs, and on Monday, October 9, they will
take on the Drayton Valley Thunder.