The Waterloo Wolves Minor Atom MD team has returned home
with the championship at the Milton Winterhawks AE Classic. Having been formed only 5 days prior, the nascent
team would find themselves with a gruelling 3 game schedule on day one.
First the boys were up against the hosts, and the eventual team they would face in the championships, the Milton Winterhawks. Terry L would get the scoring under way for the Wolves at 4:54 in the first, but the Winterhawks would have none of it, scoring 2 minutes later to even things up. However, in the final minute of the first, Wyatt N would come screaming down the side and rifled a shot top corner to put the Wolves back on top. Again, at 6:13 in the second, the Winterhawks would respond to tie the game up at 2. The wolves would again take the lead in the second with a pass that the bench staff cheered on vigorously – from behind the goal line, Callum T planted one on the stick of a pinching Ryan T who made no mistake about it and put it in the back of the net. The Winterhawks responded halfway through the third to even things up, and that’s the way the game would end.
A few hours later, the boys were at it again against the Barrie Jr. Colts. The first period was a defensive affair, with both teams working hard, but neither generating solid offensive chances. Finally, at 6:08 in the second period Gavin A would open the scoring up with a well-placed top shelf goal. The Colts would respond in the third with an equalizer, however, the story became Ryan T, who shot down the ice from our blue line and scored 2 straight. The Colts would add one, but so too would Wyatt N, and the game would end with a 4-2 Wolves win. Josh C and Sam M both had solid games between the pipes.
A few hours after that, the Wolves would show up for their third of the day. So that the coaching staff could tell a convincing story, they consumed as much coffee as they could. Against the odds, they managed to keep a straight face when they told the boys that they should have plenty of energy to play this game. To the surprise of the staff, the boys had plenty in reserve! Gavin A would lead off the scoring in the first. Next, Cruz B made a nice pass from the point to Eason Y who buried it. Callum T would tip a well placed hard pass in front of the net from Ryan P to give the Wolves a 3-1 lead. Ryan P would continue his attack, putting up the fourth Wolves goal to seal the deal. Sam M and Josh C would give up only two, as the Wolves continued their unbeaten streak. Defensively, Heath E and Dexter V both turned in particularly strong performances, breaking up rush after rush from the Jr Bulls.
The boys would then get a nice break, and would be back in Milton for Saturday evening refreshed to play the Dundas Blues. The boys would overwhelm the Blues with 2 goals from Luca S, 2 from Callum T, 2 from Terry L, and 1 from Gavin A, Alec L, Lucas T and Eason Y. The Wolves defense would play very tightly, allowing our goalies a breather before the big show. Nate B and Nohl A turned particularly solid performances.
With that, the Wolves were on to the championship game against Milton. Milton would strike early in the first period, however the Wolves would respond minutes later with a setup from Luca S to Terry L. The Wolves would take the lead late in the first period, when Lucas T charged the O-Zone and put a quick shot on net to beat the goalie. The Winterhawks would not go down without a fight, and tied the game up late in the second period, and continued to pour rush after rush on the Wolves throughout the third period. The Wolves would hold on and the score would remain tied at the end of regulation time. Sam M and Josh C deserve much credit in this game, as the Wolves found themselves outshot for the first time in the tournament. This then set the stage for a thrilling finish in overtime. The puck would spend most of the first 3 minutes in the Wolves zone, with Waterloo desperately trying to get it out and re-group. Finally, a breakthrough occurred when Heath E recognized the trouble we were having, and sent the puck off the board with plenty of power to clear the zone. Suddenly, as though he had teleported, Gavin A would appear in the neutral zone and would carry the puck into the Winterhawks’ end and, scooping up his own rebound, would bring the championship home for the Wolves.
Without exception, absolutely every boy had an important hand in this championship, and every single one of them should be very proud of themselves. The coaching staff is amazed at their grit and determination, and excited to help this team develop this season. Congratulations Gentlemen!