You could blame it on players returning from Covid protocol.
You could blame it on an extended period without practice. You could blame it
on a late night and fatigue. There were many reasons you could look to as to why
the Waterloo Wolves were not themselves in the first two periods.
But let’s be honest. Championship teams never use excuses. They don’t need them. They step up when the going gets tough. And that is what the Wolves did in the third period to salvage a point and come back from a one goal deficit, twice, in the third period to tie 2-2 against the Brantford 99ers.
The players took ownership of their play and fought through any excuses and took an important point. The point kept the drive for first place alive and allowed the team to own their destiny.
More truth. The team would not have been able to fight back had Jack Driscoll not been one of very few to show up start to finish in the game. From breakaway chances to multiple in tight chances, Driscoll competed and was instrumental in giving his team a chance to win.
Ethan Wasylyshyn, Jackson Andrews, Michael Wei and Hunter McMurdo can all be commended for turning the tide as well. They played hard minutes once again. They have been called on to provide energy, hits and kill the bulk of penalties. They play in your face hockey, and they play hard. Often not the most glamorous assignments but almost always clutch assignments that continue to make their coaches trust and depend on them. It was Wei who chased down a 99er to steal the puck and make a nifty play to Wasylyshyn to tie the game the first time. And it was Andrews who raced into the 99er zone on a mission to retrieve a puck and find Wasylyshyn for his second goal. Determination. No excuses. Wolves’ hockey.
Jackson Deitz and Riley Webster also earned assists on the goals. Jackson McNichol, Cooper Gaul and Ben Yonge hit hard and often, and Jaxon Broda was a constant source of puck movement up the ice as the teams’ defenders had little time or space on the smaller ice.
The Wolves needed a spark and Tim Hodson between periods asked for his line to start the period. Promising to change the momentum. Hodson did not disappoint and went out and hit everything he saw. His linemates, Griffin Beddis and Cole Ledgister followed suit and you could see the desire on the bench increase.
Cole Hunsberger, Declan Uniac and Matthew Ball have done an excellent job being relied on for the bulk of scoring for the Wolves. In this game they battled hard to produce and created chances but were unable to capitalize. Teams won’t hold them off the board long and the coaches expect to see the flood gates open on the weekend.
Next up the Wolves face a home and home against the London Jr Knights White before closing the regular season against the Cambridge Hawks.
Go Wolves!