The Slave Lake Wolves are in a hole for the first time in this year’s playoffs. They lost both games in Fort St. John on the weekend and now must figure out a way to get the job done on home ice.
Saturday’s game was a 4 – 2 loss. On Sunday the score was 5 – 2 for the Huskies, who have only lost a single game all season on home ice.
“We should have beat them,” says Coach Kurt Walsten. “We outplayed them big time yesterday.”
Walsten says Saturday night the Wolves had lots of great chances to score, but mostly couldn’t.
“Hunt played so good in the first game.”
On Sunday the Wolves dominated the play for two periods but again didn’t get much to show for it. Then they gave up what Walsten describes as “three easy goals” in the third that sealed the deal for the Huskies.
Blair Sinclair and Dallas Flamand scored for the Wolves on Saturday. On Sunday, Terrance Cunningham and Jordan Onufriew. Mike Brierley played both games in goal for the Wolves.
On Saturday and Sunday this weekend the Wolves host the Huskies for Games 3 and 4 of the series. The Wolves won both regular season games played in Slave Lake, and Walsten is confident they can do it again – if they keep it simple and stick to the game plan.
“We’ve just got to beat them one game in their rink,” he says.
All students are allowed in free to this weekend’s games.
“I want that building full,” says Wolves booster Hugh McEvoy of the Sawridge Hotel.
“If we fill that place up I guarantee they’re going to win.”
The Wolves got into the final by finishing off the Sexsmith Vipers last Thursday. After winning the first three games of the series the Wolves dropped the next two.
Back in Sexsmith on Wednesday, they blew a 5 - 1 lead and lost 6 -5. The next night the series resumed in Slave Lake with the Wolves feeling a bit of pressure. They responded well, hanging on for a 5 - 4 win.
Coach Walsten says the Game 5 loss in Sexsmith was pretty tough to take, but the team rallied nicely.
“I told them there was nothing to panic about,” he says. The Wolves didn’t panic. They played three solid periods of hockey on Wednesday and it paid off.
Walsten says it came down to which team had the stronger legs at the end. Sexsmith didn’t.
“They were tired,” he says. “They’ve got a pretty good team, but they don’t have a bench. That’s why we went four lines - to tire them out.”
Scoring for the Wolves were Archie Collins with two, James Raymond, Ryan Gleason and Jeff Green. Mike Brierley got the win in goal - his eighth of the playoffs.

Copyright © 2000 The Lakeside Leader. All Rights Reserved.
No part may be reproduced without written permission.

View our Privacy Statement.
Send website suggestions to the Webmaster