The Waterloo Wolves defeated the
Sarnia Sting 3 games to 1 in the Alliance semifinals with a 5-to-3-win Saturday
night. With each passing game in this series, you could feel the animosity and
rivalry heating up until it came to a boiling point in the final game.
Sadly, with only 50 seconds left,
the Sarnia players disgracefully spent their final moments of their season attacking
the Wolves players. It was a rather embarrassing moment for the Sting that
sadly overshadowed what was a great and hard-fought series by both teams.
The Wolves took game 1 of the series
5 to 4 in Waterloo. Allan Wang scored from Jack Smith to open the scoring.
Connor Wilson made an impact with a hattrick in the game. Wilson’s first goal
was from Ethan Kralik and Christopher Ding. His second was from Casey Ross and Wang.
His third was unassisted. Reed Rozema also scored from Jack Mayne.
In what was one of the most bizarre away
games the Wolves have even encountered, the Wolves lost 6 to 4 in game 2. The
game was delayed due to a power outage that left 1900 without power. A line was
struck and set on fire, so the game was moved and delayed. The team never got
into the groove and looked like anything but themselves. Keegan Weatherdon
scored a pair of goals with his first goal set up by Ben Morton and his second
from Morton and Mayne. Wilson continued to have a hot hand with another goal,
this one set up from Morton and Morton added a goal from Weatherdon and Jacob
Shaughnessy.
The Wolves needed to make a statement
and get back to what made them league champions and did just that with a
dominate 4 to 1 win in game 3 of the series. Weatherdon scored from Mayne and
then Morton completed a hattrick. Morton’s first goal was from Wang and Rozema,
his second from Owen Miloje and his third from Weatherdon and Rozema.
Back to Sarnia, the Wolves hoped for
a couple things. One, to get to play without another delay, and two, to finish
the series. Well, the team’s first wish came true, but sadly, after the first
period, it didn’t look good as the Wolves were down 2 to 0. But the players
looked in the mirror and came out ready to change their luck with hard work.
First, Shaughnessy gave them life with his goal from Mayne and Miloje. Then
Miloje dances around up top on the power play and sent a rocket in the Sting
net to tie the game from Shaughnessy. Mayne put the Wolves ahead from Morton
and Weatherdon, but the Sting tied the game again. It was Weatherdon who earned
the game winner from Morton and Miloje put an end to the drama from Morton with
a well-planned bank shot off the glass in the Wolves end all the way down into
the middle of the open net. Just how Miloje does it.
The first couple of games the Wolves
had more goals against in back-to-back games than pretty much all season. But
the players corrected that in a hurry and buckled down defensively. Jack Smith had
an outstanding series and was a pillar on defense blocking shots, making hits
and clearing net front. Smith was a constant penalty killer and played hard
minutes for his team. Another player whose name isn’t on the stat sheet but
plays an instrumental role for his team is Logan Murtha. Like Smith, Murtha was
counted on to do the heavy lifting in the physical department and their efforts
do not go unnoticed. Evan Walsh played some of his best hockey of the season and
was huge on the powerplay and 5 on 5 play. The return of Jack Gardner put wind in
the team’s sail. Gardner’s love and enthusiasm of the game is contagious.
Finally, it can never be understated
how great it is for a coaching staff to put zero thought into who will start in
goal for the team. The Wolves have rolled their goalies all season long and
have had stellar goaltending in every single game. Jake Howard is the calm,
steady, technically sound backbone of the team and Ciaran Guitton-Quayle is the
personable, unfazed and reliable backbone of the team. Each is unique and
unlike the other, but each is as amazing in net and out of net as the other. Together,
they are the perfect goalie tandem.
Now, the Wolves will get together and
watch the final game of the Kitchener Jr Rangers and London Jr Knights series
to determine who they will face in the Alliance finals. Whoever it is, it will
be a huge challenge, and the series promises to be a nail bitter.
Keep working hard boys…..we are
another step towards reaching that season goal!
Go Wolves!!