There was a lot of unfinished
business for the Waterloo Wolves U18 team in the Waterloo Memorial Tournament.
Three seasons I have coached this team. In 2022 our team lost in the finals. In
2023 our team lost in the finals. But now, in 2024, we are the champions!
The resilience, dedication and hard work
of each and every player on this Wolves team is beyond special. The culture these
players have created is inspirational. It has been 8 league games, 21
tournament games and 2 championships together and never, not even once, has any
player pointed a finger or been negative to a teammate.
It is truly an honor to be a Wolves
player or coach this season and the honor goes well beyond winning because of
the amazing culture the players have created inside the dressing room.
The Wolves shocked the Kitchener Jr
Rangers 4 to 3 in the finals by playing a gritty team game and executing the
game plan perfectly. The Rangers roster is extremely impressive and filled with
talent from top to bottom. The Rangers’ ability to score and their puck
movement is top notch. They are definitely a team the Wolves respect and kudos
to them for playing such an outstanding tournament.
How it all came about…….
The weekend started with a 3 to 2
win over the Ajax-Pickering Raiders. Ciaran Guitton-Quayle earned the win for
his team. Jack Gardner got his first goal as a Wolve from Allan Wang and Connor
Wilson. Keegan Weatherdon scored from Ben Morton and Owen Miloje. The game
winning goal was scored by Reed Rozema by Wilson.
The feisty New Hamburg Jr Firebirds
was the next game for the Wolves and the team saw Jake Howard earn a shutout in
a 3 to 0 win. Rozema had the game winner once again from Morton and Jack Mayne.
Morton scored from Wang and Mayne scored from Morton and Miloje.
Headed into day two, the Wolves had
to put it all on the line by pulling Guitton-Quayle for the extra attacker and
scoring the tying goal with only a second remaining on the clock. Guitton-Quayle
was a big reason the team was still in the game and salvaged a 2 – 2 tie.
Weatherdon had the first goal from Miloje and Rozema before Miloje played the
hero from Weatherdon and Morton.
The hockey Gods taught the Wolves
head coach a lesson to never say the “S-Word” before that final buzzer. Howard
had his back-to-back shutout opportunity soured by the coach’s error, but the
team still won 3 to 1 against the Milton Menace. Morton scored from Mayne and
Weatherdon had the game winner from Wilson and Jacob Shaughnessy. Morton had
his second of the game from Wang and Ethan Kralik.
The semi finals saw a rematch
against the Firebirds, and it proved to be a chippy affair with the Wolves
winning 4 to 1 in the game. Guitton-Quayle was a massive reason for the win
even if the score didn’t show it. In fact, I would say the score only looked so
lopsided because of how well the Wolves goalie played. Gardner scored the first
goal in the game from Weatherdon and Morton. Mr. Game Winner, Rozema once again
had the winning goal from Miloje and Casey Ross. Christopher Ding scored a
rocket as the power play ended from Kralik and Gardner and Shaughnessy scored
from Weatherdon and Wilson.
Howard certainly stepped up in the
finals and played a fantastic game with several key saves. It is worth
mentioning the Wolves goalie depth and the coach’s confidence in both goalies.
You need to look no further than the two championships the team has won with Guitton-Quayle
playing the finals in the Orangeville win and Howard playing in the Memorial
win. The Wolves can roll both goalies and have their players playing with full
confidence. Wang opened the scoring for the Wolves from Shaughnessy. Weatherdon
scored from Rozema and Rozema scored from Wang. The game winner came off an absolute
bomb of a slap shot from Wang with Shaughnessy getting the apple.
Once again, the Wolves played missing
key players. On defense, assistant captain Evan Walsh was out with a concussion
all tournament. Walsh is a very important player for the team and in his absence
Jack Smith and Logan Murtha stepped up huge. The two defenders logged more time
on the penalty kill than any other Wolves players and were constantly playing
with an edge and delivering big hits. You simply do not win without players
like them. The team also missed another assistant captain in the semi and
finals, Mayne left the forwards short on bodies, but forwards responded perfectly.
The Wolves return to league play
this weekend with a game in Hamilton against the Huskies and a rare game at the
Waterloo Rec Complex hosting the London Jr Knights White. The players will have
to continue their hot play to pick up a couple big wins.
Huge thanks to all the parents and
past players for their support over the weekend and to the Waterloo Wolves AAA
U18 team for allowing the team to use their room for the weekend.
Go Wolves!