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Jan 25, 2014 | Shawn Way | 1234 views
A Silver Stick Worthy Effort
Written by Shawn Thompson

The Wolves had a fabulous weekend in Sarnia where they competed in the International Silver Stick. They may have come up with their best effort during a string of games as they faced some of the top ranked teams in Ontario.

On Friday morning, the Wolves played the Toronto Young Nats. The game was a seesaw battle with the Young Nats scoring with 5 minutes left in the game to gain a 3-2 advantage before sealing the victory with an open net goal. From goaltending to defence to forwards, the effort never waned. Jake Macdonald continued his tournament hot streak by scoring both goals with Cooper Way and Spencer Young, his two linemates who earned two assists each.

The Wolves wasted little time picking themselves back up as they played the Cleveland Barons later that afternoon and defeated them 9-1. The Wolves had a very quick start and did not stop the entire game. Jake Macdonald lead the way again as he scored 3 goals, with Jaxson Murray scoring 2. Other goal scorers were Preston Young, Jake Thompson, Kyle Maloney and Ryan Hanson. Three assists went to Cooper Way and  Kyle Maloney, both Owen Parsons and Preston Young had two assists while Braydon Hislop, Ryan Hanson, Jake Thompson, Ryan McGeown, Spencer Young, Jake Anderson and Cal Reesor had one assist each.
 
On a very early Saturday morning, the Wolves played Victory Honda and again had a resounding win, defeating them 6-1. The Wolves had many strong break-outs and crisp passing plays which served them well throughout the game. Jaxson Murray continued his hot streak with 2 goals, while Jake Macdonald, Ryan Hanson, Cooper Way and Spencer Young each scored once. Single assists went to Jake Thompson, Kyle Maloney and Jake Anderson while Spencer Young, and Cooper Way each had two assists.

This all led up to a much needed win or tie against the Don Mills Flyers, a very strong team from the GTA. The Wolves were strong from start to finish hemming the Flyers in their zone for prolonged periods of time. It was an exceptional and determined effort from a team that wanted to continue to play in the Silver Stick. The score ended in a 0-0 tie but that was not a true indication of the offensive opportunities each team had. Marshall Nicholls played a very posed and strong game. Each time the Flyers posed any pressure he answered the call. The defensive play and back checking was exceptional throughout the game. This effort allowed the Wolves to finish in the top 8 (out of 24 teams) and to move onto the quarter finals against the Toronto Nats at 8:30 pm.

The Wolves, excited as they were to play against the Nats once again, found themselves behind very early in the game. Mid-way through the third period, the Nats scored once again to take a 2-0 lead. As we had seen all weekend, the Wolves did not give up and continued to fight. With just over 30 seconds left in the game, Jaxson Murray scored on a howitzer of a wrist shot from Jake Thompson and Kyle Maloney to make it 2-1. Then with just over 12 seconds to play and the puck back in the Nats end, Kyle Maloney smartly manoeuvred from the left corner making his way around two defenders where he let go a wrist shot that just missed the top right hand corner. It was not meant to be, but what a tournament it was! Proud parents applauded a disappointed team as they left the ice. 
 
The Wolves now move onto a string of three games starting against the Kitchener Junior Rangers, Brantford 99ers and then finish the regular season on Sunday against the Huron Perth Lakers.