There is no better way to end a successful
season than beating your rivals and earning over 50 points with a win! The
Waterloo Wolves achieved both those feats Friday night with a 4 to 2 win over
the Kitchener Jr Rangers.
After 30 league games, the Wolves
won 24 times and tied 3 times for 51 points on the season. The Wolves lost the
fewest games in the league with only 3 losses. Their winning percentage was
tops at 0.850. No team had a better goal differential with the Wolves earning an
amazing plus 79! The team’s goals for percentage was also the best in Alliance
at 0.716. As the league’s most consistent team they ended the season 9-0-1 in
the final stretch on a 5-game win streak.
And with all that hard work the
Wolves earn a first-round bye and nothing else…..
The real season starts now.
But before we go there let's talk
about how the Wolves closed up such an amazing season.
It was the captain Ben Morton who
stole the show on Friday. Morton had another hattrick to bring his goal total
to 48 on the season. His first goal was set up from Evan Walsh on a nice
stretch pass with Logan Murtha drawing an assist as well. His second goal was
from Jack Mayne and Reed Rozema and a Murtha drop pass assisted the third
Morton goal. Connor Willson went bar down on his goal from Mayne and Morton.
Keegan Weatherdon and Jack Gardner,
a couple of real important pieces, rested up since the Wolves had already
clinched league champions.
It was a testament to the Wolves’
depth they were able to win so convincing without them.
Up front, Morton and Jacob
Shaughnessy double shifted giving the Wolves a really strong 1-2 punch up the
middle. Ethan Kralik moved to the wing with Allan Wang and the pair provided
constant energy and are extremely hard to play against. Rozema paired with
Casey Ross and Wilson with Mayne to give the team 4 strikers to work with in the
top six.
On the back end, Jack Smith and Murtha
provided all the power the team needed as Owen Miloje, Christopher Ding and
Walsh buzzed with the puck exiting the zone.
And last, and never least, the Wolves’
source of confidence, goaltending, was once again on display with Ciaran
Guitton-Quayle picking up the win over the Rangers. Guitton-Quayle gave little
to no second chances and battled through traffic to see pucks and end plays. It
was another textbook performance.
The Waterloo / Kitchener rivalry is
one of the best in Alliance hockey. With the Wolves getting 2 wins and a tie in
league play (plus a big Waterloo memorial Championship win) you can look at the
standings and see why it was so important to win those games. Had the results
been the opposite, the Rangers would have 5 extra points and had earned the
bye, but since they did not, they earned a first round match up with the London
Knights Green.
One thing is for sure, however,
there are no easy series or games here on in. The Wolves need to take the time
to rest but also train hard to be ready. They need to head into their first series
with intensity and passion ready to out work teams the way they have all
season.
Go Wolves!