A couple of days in Brantford brought
highs and lows for the PW Black Wolves.
The Wolves won their first two games of the 45th Wayne Gretzky tournament in Brantford, on December 28, marking the first time this season that the team won four games in a row. The team's performance reached its high water mark of the tournament the following morning, during an exhilarating come-from-behind tie against a team from Philadelphia. However, the next two games offered some hard lessons which the Wolves should take to heart in the final stretch of the regular season.
The first game of the tournament was in Paris (Ontario). Against the Prince Edward County Kings, a team with a surfeit of royalty (including prince, count and king in its name), the Wolves had to play a textbook game, and mostly did. They opened the scoring early on one of the few opportunities offered by the opposition, relied on strong defense and goaltending to fend off threats by the Kings, back-checked well to limit those threats, and remained disciplined with one penalty to the Kings’ six. After missing on some good chances, the Wolves’ hard work paid off when they added a second goal with two minutes left in the game, which ended 2-0.
The second game was at the venerable arena in St. George, Brant County, against the Dundas Blues. The Wolves easily outshot Dundas, although the physically robust style of the Blues, occasional choppy play on both sides, and good performance by the Dundas goalie, made it seem closer. The Wolves opened the scoring early again – 22 seconds into the game to be precise. With the score tied at one at the end of the first, the Wolves kicked into higher gear in the second and methodically kept the puck away from the Wolves’ net, in spite of some very physical play by the Blues, which included slashing the Wolves’ goalie. The Wolves scored early in the third on excellent team work, good passing up the ice on a play originating deep in the Wolves’ zone, to make it 2-1 Waterloo. The Wolves’ defense stayed in control for much of the third, and the game ended 2-1 for Waterloo.
The third game was more of a nail-biter, with both Waterloo and the Philadelphia Jets exchanging good chances in the first, but neither scoring – the Wolves once again methodical, but Philly expending more energy, and both goalies standing their ground. The second period saw non-stop action with lots of end-to-end rushes on both sides, but the Jets opening the scoring with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway. After that goal, the game got more physical and choppy. Philly made it 2-0, while the Wolves fired off a number of shots, but the Philly goalie closed the door. The Wolves started the third on fire, peppering Philly's net with shots, finally scoring to make it 2-1 early in the period, and tying it up three minutes later. The Jets re-took the lead by midway through the third on a breakaway, but the Wolves never abandoned their efforts, scoring the equalizer with the Wolves’ goalie out and a Jets player in the penalty box, with two minutes left. The final score was 3-3, with Wolves forming a bridge with their sticks to honour the hard-fighting visiting team from the US as they exited the ice.
So far, so good, and by now, the Wolves were assured of a spot in the tournament’s playoffs. But it’s fair to say that there was a breakdown in the Wolves’ usual discipline for chunks of the fourth game. This was made all the more evident as the opponents, the Hespeler Shamrocks, who had just been beaten 6-2 by host Brantford and were fighting for their playoff lives. Hespeler came out very strong from the first second of play, keeping the Wolves on their heels and off their game early. Physical play by Hespeler made the Wolves take a bevy of penalties during the first and second periods, easily the most penalties the Wolves of any game this year. The Wolves’ goalie helped to keep things close for a while, but the Shamrocks scored one goal at even strength and two power play goals in the second. The Wolves finally regained some composure in the third, controlling the puck much better, outshooting Hespeler for the first time in the game, and making smart plays, closing the gap to 3-2. The game then became very open, with exciting chances created on both sides. But with three minutes left, the Wolves’ goalie was pulled for an extra attacker. The Shamrocks unfortunately scored two empty-netters during the remaining time, to hand the Wolves their first defeat of the tournament, and for 6 games, finishing at 5-2.
The next day, the Wolves played their semi-final game against their first opponents of the tournament, the Prince Edward County Kings. While the Wolves started strongly, keeping the number of shots on their goal low, communicating well, and controlling the puck, there was no score at the end of the first. "Unfortunately, the second and third periods were ones to forget, with some combination of Kings’ breakaways, occasional confusion in the Wolves’ zone, and goalies (who both saw action) not quite their usual sharp selves. In the end, the Kings' 5 goals easily offset the Wolves' 2.
In short, the early games of the tournament saw the Wolves in control and playing smart, and engineering some exhilarating come backs, while in the last two games the team learned not rest on their laurels, and that discipline, hard work, and focused play are essential to obtain good chances against determined opponents.
In the midst of the hockey, a group of fearless parents organised an amazing Christmas Party. Pulling off a delicious and nutritious meal plus games that kept the Wolves entertained for four hours – with nary a phone or video game in sight – was quite an achievement. The players enjoyed bingo, charades, Guess the Wolf, a Secret Santa exchange, watching a Don Cherry Rock’em sock’em video, and many other activities. Hats off to the parents who gave their time and culinary skills and organizing magic to make the afternoon a great success. Happy New Year everyone!