The Whitecourt Wolverines are in Grande Prairie tonight and looking to bounce back from a narrow home loss to the Storm yesterday.
Sept. 10, the team fell 5-4 in a shootout decision.
Grande Prairie finished period one with a 2-0 lead after scoring at 6:31 and 9:31, but 43 seconds before the end of the frame, a roughing minor put Whitecourt on the man advantage.
Wolverine Antonio Bevacqua took the chance to net a power-play goal just 57 seconds into the second period to cut the lead in half. Grayson Niehaus and Kyle Tucker assisted.
At 2:09, Grande Prairie’s Brody Martin and Whitecourt’s Oliver Tetrault both earned 10-minute misconduct penalties, with Tetrault also receiving a five-minute major for a check from behind.
Whitecourt’s Niehaus then tied Grande Prairie’s lead 2-2 at 4:25 with a shorthanded goal, with help from Justus Chyld.
At 15:50, Wolverine Parker Fitzgerald broke the tie to give Whitecourt a 3-2 lead. The helpers went to Jett Quaschnick and Justin Pichette.
Jake Banicevic kept the momentum going in the third frame, netting an unassisted goal at 5:52 to give Whitecourt a 4-2 lead, but with just 1:40 left in the game, the Storm answered with two more to tie it, sending the game into overtime.
The first overtime period passed with no goals from either team, resulting in a shootout. Grayson Niehaus scored once for Whitecourt, while Bevacqua and Tucker missed the mark.
Bowen Grycan and Cole Penner both scored for the Storm, leading to their 5-4 victory over the Wolverines.
Tonight, Whitecourt heads to Grande Prairie for a shot at redemption and their final exhibition game; it’s a 6 p.m. faceoff.
