The Wolves' season has continued over the past two weekends with
a knockout round robin series against Kitchener Blue and Burlington, and what
an exciting series it has been.
So exciting that you and we will have to wait for tomorrow to learn how it ends.
The first game of the series saw Kitchener Blue take on Burlington, with the Bulldogs coming away with the win at home.
Next up was Burlington v the Wolves. Matchups between these teams have been rather odd all season, tending to be higher scoring on both sides than the teams' typical games. This one didn't quite work out that way, though, as Burlington's goalie stood steely eyed in the face of the Wolves' onslaught. Burlington got the first two goals of the game, with a very nice response by the Wolves to make it 2-1 at the end of the second. Burlington then managed to get another late in the third period with some smart play on a rebound. The final score of 3-1 led to raucous cheers from the Burlington side as they went to 4 points in the round robin, with neither of the other sides yet to post points.
The next game was the first of two in a row against Kitchener Blue, a team that all season had threatened upsets against the best teams, including tieing their own AA team. And indeed the game started off with some pretty serious action on the part of Blue, with a crash of the goalie just preceding what looked to be the first score of the game (it was called goalie interference). Unfortunately, the Wolves' injury and illness stricken season meant that the team only had one goalie available for the game. Some spectators speculated that we might be forced to take a leaf out of the Florida Panthers' book and dress a coach, but it was pointed out that there are a few different rules applying to the Alliance AA/A Minor Hockey League and the NHL. Anyway, that drama over, the Wolves started pushing back harder, and after a lot of solid chances that didn't quite pan out, got a goal on beautifully set up pass, leaving the score at 1-0 going into the third. The tempo picked up noticeably in the third period, as did the tension in the stands. Some great work by the Kitchener goalie kept the score from going higher, and some good clearing by the Waterloo defence kept Blue from picking up rebounds. Finally, the game ended, with the Wolves just shutting down a PK, with the score still at 1-0.
Illness and injury struck again for the Friday repeat matchup against Blue, with the Wolves now down 1 coach and 1 defenceman as well as the 1 goalie. The Wolves came out hard, scoring the first goal of the match in under 5 minutes, and didn't ease up the whole game. Shots were decidedly in the Wolves' favour in the first period, and they were a little unlucky not to have gone up by more than 1 in that period. But early in the second, a lot of hard work by the whole team led to a second goal. Kitchener then retaliated, following up on a tough shot by tapping the loose puck into the net making it 2-1. The Wolves' defence had a whole lot of work to do keeping Kitchener out after that, with desperate lunges and ankle blocks to keep the puck away from the net. The hard work paid off, and gave the team space to line up several more great scoring opportunities which eventually turned into a goal: 3-1. A final goal went in on an empty net to make it 4-1 Wolves.
So that put the Wolves even with Burlington on 4 point each, with the Bulldogs having one game in hand, making the game the next day a must-win for the Wolves. With illness still keeping their coach away and their two team-mates from playing, the Wolves knew they'd have to leave everything on the ice to keep their season going. And the intensity of play was amazing to see. Burlington scored early on a breakaway on the first shot of the game, but the Wolves got one back on a quick wraparound play making it 1-1 at the end of the first period. Another breakaway saw the Dogs pull ahead, but again the Wolves got an equalizer shortly after. The Wolves scored next, after their aggressive pushing to the net paid off, but Burlington wasted no time in equalizing to make it 3-3 going into the final 15 minutes of play. Early in the last period, a hopeful shot from near the blue line snuck by the Wolves' goalie, making it 4-3 for the Bulldogs. The Wolves just wouldn't give up though, getting under the Dogs' skin enough to draw two penalties, giving the Wolves 40 seconds of 5 on 3 play. Though they couldn't make the Dogs pay for their rough play while on the power play, the Wolves managed yet another equalizer shortly after, with 4:44 remaining in the game. No-one in the stands was taking anything for granted at this point, which was lucky because Burlington managed a fifth goal on shot that was unluckily tipped in as the goalie moved to block the initial shot. With 1:40 left on the clock, and the season looking like it was about to slip away, Waterloo pulled their goalie - and the move (which had been practiced quite regularly throughout the season) paid off with a goal under 30 seconds later. With the score at 5-5, the Wolves kept defending like crazy, and pushing hard to the net but couldn't quite get it in. Facing a 5 minute overtime period, some spectators were finding their nerves a little frazzled. The Wolves, though, rose to the occasion, stripping Burlington of the puck in the neutral zone, and driving with wild determination towards the Burlington goalie. After a few near misses, a great pass across the front of the net found the recipient's stick perfectly, and the Wolves found the net for the 6th time in the game. Final score 6-5 (OT) to the Wolves.
And so it has come to pass that the Wolves' hopes of continuing their season rest on the outcome of the final series game between Burlington and Kitchener Blue. And here, I think it is appropriate to say that the Wolves players and the parents have always found Blue to be tough and gritty rivals; a team that plays with heart, character, and sportsmanship; a team that has improved throughout the year, and whose never-say-die attitude we have respected, even when we've been on the receiving end of it. We know you can close out your season against Burlington in style.[1]
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel:
Come out hard tomorrow, Kitchener,
The Wolves team turn their hopeful eyes to you!
Come on Blue!
[1] If anyone from Kitchener Blue happens to read this: all playing up the situation for dramatic effect put aside, no matter what the outcome is on Sunday, congratulations to you guys on a really solid first season in this loop - you forced every team you played against to bring their best out, and the writer stands by everything said in this paragraph.