The Waterloo Wolves continued to roll on Super Bowl weekend
picking up a pair of wins, scoring 9 goals, moving to +9 goals differential,
earning the league’s best GF% (0.552) and moving within a win from first and a
single point from second.
All of which is impressive but secondary to the fact the
team is playing the right way and working hard as a unit. Something the Wolves
struggled with for long periods this season. If you want to win, come playoffs,
this is the style of hockey you need to play. And there is a lot of work to do
yet as the players tend to take their foot off the gas and let teams hang
around longer than needed.
The Wolves started the weekend with a 6 to 3 win over the
Cambridge Hawks in a game that went back and forth before the Wolves put it
away. It took 10 seconds for the hawks to jump ahead a goal, but Cole Hunsberger
responded on the powerplay unassisted. To start the second period, the Hawks
again jumped to the lead, but this time waited 19 seconds to score, and this
time it was Evan Wallace that tied the game from Hunsberger. In the third
period, things got dicey for the Wolves, with a give away on the powerplay the
Hawks went down and scored shorthanded giving them the lead yet again. This was
a gut check for the Wolves and the team responded how you would want them to
playing inspired hockey and netting 4 unanswered goals. Ben Morton tied the
game from Jordan Abbott. Declan Uniac got the game winner from Morton and
Matthew Ball and then Morton and Hunter McMurdo added insurance goals. Morton’s
goal was set up by Wallace and Cole Ledgister and McMurdo was unassisted.
Everybody loves rivalry and there is none better in Alliance
hockey than the Kitchener Jr Rangers and the Waterloo Wolves. The Rangers took
advantage of a depleted Wolves roster in the first game but at full strength
the Wolves thumped the Rangers in game 2 and then won the regular season series
with a 3 to 2 win Sunday.
Morton continued his hot weekend opening the scoring from Uniac.
Ledgister gave the Wolves a two-goal lead when he poked a puck past the Rangers
defender in zone, with the clock ticking down to a second, Ledgister sped down
the wall and cut in towards the net before sending a rocket top shelf to beat
the buzzer. It was Griffin “big goal” Beddis that got the games winner and had
Happy Birthday sang to him on the bench after his goal. The birthday boy was
set up from Jack Thompson and Jack Mayne.
Teams do not go on 7 game unbeaten streaks with 5 straight
wins without solid goaltending and Sam Miller and Drew Cribbin provide that to
the Wolves game in and game out. In the third period of the game against the Hawks
Miller stopped a breakaway that changed the momentum and in Kitchener Cribbin backstopped
the team when they went in the before mentions lulls in the game.
The unsung heroes are often the defenders on the team. And
the Wolves had many of them over the weekend. Jackson McNichol with an active
stick breaking up plays before they started. Abbott crunching players in the
corner and boxing out the front of the net. Jake Patterson laying hits and
creating offence. Riley Webster rushed the puck and head manning the puck like
a quarterback. Jack Smith gapping at the line and making zone entries
difficult. Ethan Wasylyshyn put in the effort winning battles to spark his team
and playing multi positions. All these players stepped up when needed.
There is much work needed and another gear to be found with
the players. But the players are buying in, and they are putting in the work
needed. There is no selfishness, and everyone has a desire to win. The turnaround
has been outstanding and the belief in one another never greater. Keep working
hard and the results will come.
Go Wolves!