Cooks Pharmacy U13LL Wilmot Wolverines Win Tournament in Mitchell March 4th-6th, News (Wilmot Girls Hockey)

This past weekend the red hot U13LL Wilmot Wolverines, on a 5 game winning streak, rolled into Mitchell Friday morning. 

The first game of the weekend tournament was against the Huron Heat and the Wolverines found their legs on route to a 2-1 victory. After a team lunch it was back to the rink to face South Bruce.

The Wolverines smothered South Bruce. The CAT, Cheyenne Forler, recorded a shutout. 3-0 Wilmot. The Wolverines' win streak now 7 games in a row. The 3rd and final game of the round robin was against the Wolverines' all too familiar foe, the scrappy team from Woodstock. Another chippy game between these two now bitter rivals ended with the Wolverines on top 5-2. Semifinal clinched and win streak now at 8 games in a row.

Sunday morning's semifinal was a rematch of the Wolverines vs South Bruce. The Wolverines dominated South Bruce once more, advancing to the championship with a 3-1 victory. The Wolverines would now face the Mount Forest Rams. The Rams were on an absolute tear through the round robin scoring 33 goals in 4 games. But they had yet to face the now NUCLEAR HOT team from Wilmot.

The Wolverines' preparation for the championship included making sure the coaches remembered they had bet the ladies that if they made it to the championship they could paint the coaches' faces. Now with the entire team proudly wearing Wilmot blue and yellow it was time to get down to business!

The game got underway and early in the 1st period the Rams struck first. 1-0 Rams. The mood on the Wolverines bench didn’t change one bit. Not even for a second was there hesitation or fear. Less then 2 minutes later, Ella Holborn and Adeline Steckley cycled the puck down low and passed out front to #34 who, with a perfectly placed shot, tied the game at 1-1. The Wolverines fans, now solidly in the game, got louder and louder.

The two teams battled hard for the rest of the 1st period and into the 2nd period. The Rams' 33 goal scoring offence kept coming at the Wolverines D, only to be forced to the boards over and over, shift after shift. The Wolverines D Julia Amyotte, Anna Cross, Lily O’Shaughnessy, Lauren Fidler, and Carys Girodat absolutely dominated the Rams. When the Rams were able to get shots on goal the CAT Cheyenne Forler shut the door. Then at the midway point of the 2nd period the Rams' forwards lost the puck in the slot in front of the Wolverines net. Carys Girodat exploded from the Wolverines end. The Rams D turned, desperate to keep ahead of Carys as she carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the Rams' end. Both Rams D and the back-checking Rams forward along with Carys all ended up in the slot in front of the Rams goal. Just as it looked like the rush by the Wolverines D had been ended, Carys, with pure determination through a mess of sticks and legs, got off a bullet shot. The Wolverines bench ERUPTED! 2-1 Wolverines!

The Rams kept coming for the rest of the 2nd period and most of the 3rd. The Wolverines endured wave after wave. This portion of the game belonged to the Wolverines forwards. The Rams' D could not hold the puck in the Wolverines zone. Hailey Morgan, Mackenzie Hallman, Sommer Lewis, #34, Ella Holborn, and Summer Kollman cleared the puck past the blue line on almost every opportunity. When the Rams got on a rush, the back checking of centers Violet Bender and Sydney Elrick was relentless. Both dynamic Wolverines centers stopped Rams goal scoring opportunities on multiple occasions. 

With 3 minutes left in the 3rd period, center Adeline Steckley took the puck from inside the Wolverines blue line and stick handled around 3 Rams players. A perfectly placed low shot puts the Wolverines ahead 3-1. 

The Rams kept coming, pulled their goalie, and made it a 3-2 game with less then 2 minutes to go. But this Wolverines team would not give another inch of ice and battled hard, preserving the 3-2 lead and winning the championship, extending the win streak to 10 games in a row. 

Fantastic job ladies representing your community with hard work and team play. The U13LL Wolverines now focus on winning their division championship in the KGLL playoffs.