The Whitecourt Wolverines had back-to-back home games over Thanksgiving weekend and came out on top against the Camrose Kodiaks 7-3 on Saturday, but lost 7-3 to the Lloydminster Bobcats on Sunday.
On Oct. 11 at JDA Place, a slow first period picked up at 15:42 when Ty Rayan netted the Wolverines’ first goal. Tyler Pretty and Nathan Hawkins got the assists.
Heading into period two with a 1-0 lead, Whitecourt’s Kyle Tucker scored at 8:36 with assistance from Jalen Bianchet and Tyler Pretty.
With support from Mason Russell, Wolverine Tristan Slywka kept the momentum up with his first goal of the season less than two minutes later to boost the team to 3-0.
Forty-five seconds later, Kyle Tucker was back for more and notched his sixth goal of the season for Whitecourt to finish the frame with a 4-0 lead. Jalen Bianchet and Alex Symes assisted.
In the third, Ty Rayan started the action off again at 7:33 to bring the tally to 5-0 for Whitecourt, while Tristan Slywka and Spencer Claerhout got the helpers.
Camrose started firing back at 10:44, however, with AJ Schaaf’s fifth goal of the season, bringing it to 5-1 with support from Miles Copeland and Deacon Drummond.
The gloves came off less than two minutes later, when Camrose’s Adrien Fox and Whitecourt’s Chayse King both received 15 minutes in the box for fighting and a game misconduct. Wolverine Wyatt Ball got in on the action too and joined King for two minutes for a roughing minor.
With the powerplay in the Kodiaks’ favour, their lead shot to 5-2 at 14:15 when Tyson Murray, assisted by Quinn Abbott and Reily Pickford, scored.
But interference from Camrose’s Liam Payne just 10 seconds later flipped the favour to Whitecourt, allowing Kyler Tucker and Quentin Bourne to support Brendan Ruskowski with his seventh goal of the regular season at 15:02.
With Whitecourt leading 6-2, a tripping minor served to Wolverine Tristan Slywka about one minute later sent Camrose’s Tucker Tullikopf to score on the powerplay again. Bowen Grycan and Junshi Hideshima assisted in bringing it to 6-3.
Wolverine Wyatt Ball wrapped the scoring at 19:39 with assistance from Jager Gugyelka, securing Whitecourt’s 7-3 win.
On Sunday, the Lloydminster Bobcats dominated period one.
After the Bobcats opened the scoring at 7:33, Jalen Bianchet netted one for Whitecourt to tie it up 1-1 less than two minutes later. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by Justus Chyld and Nathan Hawkins.
Ten minutes later, Lloydminster packed three goals into the last few minutes of the frame to head into the second with a 4-1 lead.
The Wolverines held the Bobcats off until 7:10 in period two, when their lead shot to 5-1. Lloydminster kept the momentum up and notched another 55 seconds later, bringing it to 6-1.
Bobcat Kael Screpnek was served a cross-checking minor at 10:55, setting up Whitecourt’s Jalen Bianchet to score on the powerplay about 30 seconds later, with assistance from Cole Barrett.
Now at 6-2, Wolverine Quentin Bourne followed up with his first goal of the season at 14:36 to bump the team to 6-3. Tyler Pretty and Jager Gugyelka got the helpers.
Lloydminster then sealed their 7-3 victory with one minute left in the second frame.
While there were no goals scored in period three, Bobcat Matthew Hikida and Whitecourt’s Quentin Bourne got rough, earning 10 minutes in the box for game misconducts, plus roughing minors.
Despite a fiery 7-3 finish in Lloydminster’s favour, the Wolverines remain in first place in the AJHL North Division with 14 points and a 7-2-0-0 record. The team is back on the ice Oct. 17 against the Olds Grizzlys at the Olds Sportsplex.
