The
Minor Atom MD Wolves have been battling hard over the last couple of months. Having won three tournament titles, the Wolves
requested a move up to the single-A division for the Peterborough Lift Lock
tournament in early January. With no room available, the Wolves moved up to
the Major Atom AE division to try our hands against the older kids...
The Wolves put in a valiant effort, holding off a strong attack from one of the top teams in the division, Stouffville, ultimately falling 4-1. The Wolves had yet to experience that level of aggressive play, especially with a noticeable size difference. Heath E., our resident remover of all opponents near our net, learned some tips and tricks that he has brought back to league play to make him even more feared! The second game saw us up against the Ajax Major Atoms. The game would feature a back-and-forth exchange of opportunity after opportunity, with goalies on both sides coming up with excellent saves. After two periods of scoreless hockey, Ajax managed to get one on the board mid-way through the third. With plenty of chances, the Wolves continued to press for the equalizer, nearly getting it in the final minute with the extra attacker on, but in the end Ajax would score an empty-netter to win 2-0. The final game against Woodstock Majors would feature a Wolves team with nothing left to give – ultimately facing a decisive defeat unlike anything they had experienced this season. The coaching staff was clear with the boys at the conclusion of the tournament. To keep reaching higher and developing further, they needed to see what the next level of the game looks like. The lessons learned in this tournament were explored in many of the following practices, and they helped to improve their game in the league matches to follow.
After returning from Peterborough, the Wolves would finally solve the Kitchener Jr Rangers. Having tied the Red squad twice and Blue once, Waterloo would win a hard fought match 1-0 against Blue and 3-0 against Red. The Jr. Rangers, always ready, willing, and able to go hard at the Wolves would then even things up – Waterloo would fall 2-1 to Kitchener Red and 4-2 to Kitchener Blue. Last weekend, the Wolves would show up ready to pour it on for their re-match against Kitchener Blue. Waterloo would battle hard with Wyatt N. springing to life scoring two goals, coupled with some stellar saves made by Sam M and Josh C to lead the boys to a 3-0 win. This weekend, the Wolves travel to Kitchener to go up against Red one last time in the regular season, followed the next weekend at home with their final two games before playdowns: Cambridge on March 16, 11:30 at Albert McCormick and on March 17, 11:30 at Albert McCormick against Kitchener Blue. All fans of the Minor Atom MD Wolves will hopefully come out in force to cheer on the hometown favourites!
-Coach James