The Slave Lake Wolves are up three games to one in their playoff series against the Peace River Navigators. Going into Game 5 (Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Slave Lake) the Wolves had won three straight games, including two on Peace River ice.
The Navigators took Game 1 last Wednesday, when an uninspired Wolves’ team showed up and didn’t play their usual bruising style of hockey.
“The work ethic wasn’t there,” said Coach Kurt Walsten after that game. “No hitting, don’t go to the net, lazy in our own zone. They’d better play harder, because half the guys will sit. I’ll go with two lines.”
The team apparently paid attention to that threat, because after a shaky first period on Friday they pulled it together and scored four unanswered goals in the second and shut the Peace River offense down for two periods in a 4 – 1 victory. Wolves’ goalie Mike Brierley was named the MVP of the game.
That sent the series to Peace River for games Saturday and Sunday. Both belonged to the Wolves altogether. Saturday’s score was 11 – 2 for Slave Lake and Sunday they laid another lickin’ on – beating the Navigators 5 – 1.
Fate almost threw a monkeywrench into the works for Saturday’s game when the Wolves’ bus broke down in High Prairie. They hired a schoolbus and the game got going at 10 p.m. The delay didn’t seem to bother the Wolves at all. They went out and hit everything that moved, knocking the Navigators back into the kind of submission that was evident in the three regular season games in Slave Lake where the Wolves won by a combined score of 27 – 4.
Donovan Nicholas had a big weekend, scoring five goals in the two road games. Jordan Onufriew and Ryan Gleason stood out for the Wolves as well, and Jared Franklin broke out of his scoring slump. Brierley was again in top form, denying the Navigators any chance to get back into it.
It would seem Peace River is out of it, but anyone thinking that should remember that they made it to the league championship last year by coming back from the brink of elimination to win three straight games.
One thing the Navigators had going for them at both home games was a packed house. The Wolves are hoping for a similar showing this Wednesday, and are allowing all school kids in for free.
“Bring noisemakers!” says Wolves’ booster Hugh McEvoy.

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