Kingston Ice Wolves Midget AA
Respect everyone. Fear no-one!
Kingston Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Prepare for Provincials
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves will be preparing for the upcoming Provincial Championship with two exhibition games this weekend. The NCCP Raiders from Ottawa will face off against the Wolves on Sunday, April 6 at 1:30 PM and again at 6:00 PM, both games at Center 70 Arena.
In deciding to play two games in one day, the Wolves will be trying to simulate the Provincial tournament, which takes place April 11-13 in Mississauga.
The tournament schedule was announced on Monday. The Wolves will play twice on Friday, April 11: Etobicoke Dolphins at 9:00 AM and the Sault Ste Marie Wildcats at 2:45 PM. They will then play game three sometime on Saturday, depending on how they fare in their first two games.
For all tournament information, click here.
Gloucester Stars Edge Wolves
by Jack Mackson
For the first time in four years, the Kingston Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Midget AA team will not be competing for the gold medal at the ODWHA Championship. The Gloucester Stars scored with 44 seconds remaing in the game on Tuesday night to down the Wolves 3-2 and eliminate the locals from league championship play.
The Wolves got on the board first as captain Sarah Small buried a rebound off a Katie Gordanier slapshot early in the first but the Stars equalized with less than two minutes to play in the period. Sadie Whaley gave the Wolves the lead for the second time just 13 seconds into the second period as she dumped the puck into the Stars' zone and finished a nice cycle play with linemates Teagan McLaren and Emily Kerr. But again the Stars fought back to tie it later in the period.
The death blow for the Ice Wolves came late in the third period as the Stars hemmed the locals in their zone for most of the final three minutes before finally scoring on a screen shot from the point that Wolves' goalie Michelle Good could not see.
The ODWHA Midget AA final will pit the Stars against the Nepean Wildcats in a one game showdown at the Ray Friel Arena in Ottawa on Sunday, March 30. Puck drops at 5:30.
Midget AA Ice Wolves Oust Cornwall in ODWHA Playoffs
by Jack Mackson
For the second time in three weeks, the Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves have ousted the Cornwall Typhoons from a playoff series. On Feb 26, the Ice Wolves defeated the Typhoons 3-2 to eliminate them from the Ontario Playdowns and on March 18, the Wolves handed their arch rivals a 5-3 defeat to dash their chances of going to the league final at the Ray Friel Arena in Ottawa on March 30.
The Wolves, who had played the first two games of the four game round robin ODWHA playoff series with only nine skaters, welcomed back four March Breakers to the lineup and they all contributed to the big win. Teagan McLaren gave the Wolves the lead in the first by stealing the puck from a Cornwall defender and snapping a wrist shot low stick side. Welcome back Teags! Five minutes later, Emma Owen slammed home a centering pass from Vanessa Hutchinson and the first period ended 2-0 Wolves.
The locals scored two more in the second. First it was Katie Gordanier off a feed from Jess Higgs and with under a minute to play in the period Hutchinson capped off a three way passing play with Higgs and Heather McLay. With the game solidly in hand, the Wolves appeared to relax a bit at the start of the third... wrong thing to do against a desperate team!
In a span of ten minutes the Typhoons had pulled to within one on two goals by Morgan Brown and a single by Marissa Radley and a game that seemed out of reach looked like it may slip from through the Wolves' fingers.
But with under two minutes remaining in the game Katie Gordanier scored her second of the game on a rebound off a shot by Meghan Steacy and the Wolves staved off the Cornwall attack for the final seconds.
Jess Allison was solid in the Wolves' goal again, as she has been throughout the playoffs and Ontario playdowns.
Wolves' coach Rick Small commented on the way the game played out in a post game interview. "I know it did not happen this way but it seemed that the four players who returned from March Break said to the others, 'OK look, you guys got the big comeback win on Sunday in Cornwall now it is out turn to contribute' ", he said referring to the contributions made by McLaren, Gordanier, Hutchinson and McLay. "The thing is nobody blamed the players for going on vacation because we were led to believe that there would be no games on March 15 and 16 due to spring break and when we saw our schedule and realized we had two games, it was too late to change plans. So we just sucked it up and played on the weekend and although we lost to Nepean on Saturday, we now have 4 points with one game to play and we are in a good position to make the league final."
The Wolves host the Gloucester Stars on Tuesday, March 25, 8:30 PM at Kinsmen arena in their final home game of the 2007-08 season. The message is pretty simple: win or tie, they will play Nepean in the final, lose and they will be eliminated.
For all league playoff information, click here.
To find out which teams in Ontario have qualified for the Provincials, click here.
Midget AA Ice Wolves Split Playoff games
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves, reduced to only nine skaters because of March Break vacations, went on the road and split a pair of weekend games in ODWHA playoff action.
On Saturday, the Wolves were at the Carleton University Ice House in Ottawa to meet the first place Nepean Wildcats in game one of the four game round robin playoff to determine the league champion. With only six forwards and three defence, the Wolves knew this would be a test of their conditioning and mental toughness and they were ready from the opening faceoff as they matched the Wildcats' speed and intensity. At the eight minute mark of the first they were rewarded for their inspired play as Sadie Whaley snapped home a rebound off a Meghan Steacy shot to give the Wolves the lead.
The intense pace took its toll on the Wolves, however, and by the midway point of the second the Wildcats had scored four unanswered and lead 4-1 going into the third. After Nepean made it 5-1 Meghan Steacy provided a glimmer of hope by converting a Sarah Small pass to make it 5-2 but that was all the offence the Wolves could manage and the game ended 6-2.
Less than 24 hours later this same group of nine skaters and Jess Allison in goal boarded the bus to head down the 401 to Cornwall for game two of the playoffs. The Ice Wolves knew that losing this game would eliminate them from league playoff contention and even though they had already qualified for the Provincial Tournament in April, their pride would not allow them to quit.
As they had done a day earlier, the Wolves scored first as Meghan Steacy took a pass from Sarah Small and snapped a shot top shelf late in the first. But two goals by the Typhoons in less than a minute midway through the second had the Wolves and their supporters thinking deja vieu. The second period ended 2-1 Typhoons and the Wolves gathered around their bench before the third period faceoff with one thing on their minds... they knew they needed at least two goals and they knew they could not allow another by Cornwall or they would not have a chance of advancing. It must have seemed like a monumental task as each and every player appeared totally exhausted.
Cue the comeback... Two minutes into the third, Meghan Steacy tied it for the Wolves and six minutes later she stole the puck deep in the Cornwall zone on a strong forecheck and jammed in her third of the game and eventual game winner. Sarah Small put it out of reach with six minutes to play with a sharp angled shot off a feed from Sadie Whaley and the Wolves won it 4-2.
Jess Allison was superb in the Ice Wolves goal in picking up the win. Ice Wolves coach Rick Small was speechless after the game, and that does not happen very often. "I told the girls in the dressing room after the game that I will never forget this game. The will and determination they showed in coming back in the third is something that I have only seen once or twice in all the years I have been around hockey. It would have been so easy to give up, we had already qualified for the Provincials, we had tons of excuses to quit, they were so exhausted after the second period... but they just would not surrender", he said.
The coach said he had two makeshift lines, Sadie Whaley at center between Meghan Steacy and Sarah Small and Emily Kerr centering wingers Melissa Ley and Emma Owen, and three defence, Amelia Keech, Jess Higgs and Becky Rose. They didn't have a second goalie, either, as Michelle Good could not dress either weekend game because of illness.
Game three of the four game round robin goes Tuesday, March 18, 8:30 PM at Kinsmen Arena as these same Cornwall Typhoons will no doubt be seeking to even the score. One week later, on March 25, Gloucester will be in town for game four.
Midget AA Ice Wolves Are Going to the Provincials!
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves defeated the Cornwall Typhoons by a score of 3-2 at the Kinsmen Arena on Tuesday night thereby winning their six point Eastern Zone Playdown series seven points to one. In what has become their signature style of play in all four games of this series, the Wolves scored first and played their brand of disciplined, high tempo hockey to oust their archrivals and secure their spot at the Provincial Tournament in Mississauga beginning April 11.
The much improved Wolves' power play got it going on their first opportunity midway through the first. With the Typhoons' Lexi Reagan off for hooking, Kingston's Teagan McLaren jammed in her fourth of the series from the left side after the Wolves had controlled the puck for a solid minute in the Cornwall zone. Meghan Steacy and Amelia Keech assisted on the goal and assists really could have gone to every member of the Wolves' power play as it was so dominating.
Just two minutes later, speedy winger Emily Kerr made it 2-0 by snapping home a centering pass from McLaren . Again an assist could have gone to linemate Sadie Whaley who had a strong forecheck on the play as well.
The ever-dangerous Typhoons would not relent, however, and with just 40 seconds remaining in the first period, Pascale Lacroix scored to pull her team within one as the period ended.
The third period produced great offence, defence and fireworks of all kinds. First, came the eventual game winner. With the Wolves short handed to start the period and the Typhoons pressing for the equalizer, Amelia Keech fired a laser beam breakaway pass to captain Sarah Small who made it 3-1 with her second game winner of the series. Then just two minutes later, Cornwall captain Natasha Ingram sent Wolves' starter Jess Allison to the dressing room with a viscous two handed chop to the wrist that did not get penalized. Michelle Good came on in relief in the Kingston net and she was greeted by Cornwall's Morgan Brown who beat her from the slot to again pull the Typhoons to within one.
With the series at 5 points to 1 for Kingston, the Typhoons knew a tie was not good enough and they pulled their goalie with over two minutes to play and mounted a furious attack. But the Wolves, from Good in the net and out, were not about to let this slip away and they stayed the course to win it and advance to the Provincials.
Wolves coach Rick Small was very pleased to nail down the series win. "It was very satisfying to see this group play so well. They were so focused and determined to play the system we had set out for them and I am delighted for the senior players to have the chance to go to Provincials in their final year of Midget hockey. They will remember this forever."
Small went on to say the he and assistant coach Fiona Aiston drew up a game plan specifically designed to beat Cornwall after they had lost twice in pre-season exhibition games. "Their strengths were obvious and we decided to play a more conservative, low risk style of play against them. In the games we played against them since then, we could see exactly where we had to make changes", he said. The coach went on to say that the final piece to the puzzle came during the Ice Wolves tournament in November, where the Typhoons beat the Wolves 3-2 in round robin play and eliminated them with an embarassing 6-0 pasting at the Kinsmen arena. "Those two defeats showed us we had to make some changes in our line combinations and defence pairings and from then on we began to play better and more consistent. Believe me the journey has had some setbacks but in the end, we accomplished what we set out to do and I am very proud of this group of players."
Coach Aiston said she felt the team developed tremendously in the last two months. "I think they are much more mature, they have grown as a team. And the other thing I have noticed is how they have become so cohesive and how they work together as a team", she said.
The Ice Wolves are now preparing for the ODWHA round robin playoff series, which begins in March. Exact dates and times have not been decided upon as yet.
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves won and tied on the weekend to push the Cornwall Typhoons to the brink of elimination in their six point OWHA Eastern Zone playdown. The Wolves, by virtue of their 4-3 win in Cornwall on Tuesday night, now sit with a 5 points to 1 lead after three games.
On Saturday at the Center 70 Arena, the Wolves combined superb goaltending from veteran Jess Allison with a relentless forecheck to shut out the Typhoons 3-0. After a scoreless first period Sarah Small buried a rebound off a point shot by Amelia Keech to give the locals the only goal they would need. Katie Gordanier upped it to 2-0 midway through the third by slamming home another roubound after tremendous forecheck pressure by linemates Small and Meghan Steacy and Jess Higgs put it out of reach with less than six minitues to play on a screen shot from the point.
Just seventeen hours later the two teams squared off again for game 3 at the Maxville Recreation Complex. For the third time in a row the Wolves opened the scoring as Hannah Bagnall dipsy doodled her way into the Typhoons' zone and scored after Meghan Steacy slipped a quick goal mouth pass to the lanky defender. Katie Gordanier also earned an assist on the play. With goalies Michelle Good of the Wolves and Typhoons' Dana Stephenson at their athletic best, it looked like this game might end 1-0 but with less than six minutes to play and the Typhoons on the power play, an easy clear out by the Wolves deflected off the skate of one of the linesmen and bounced directly to Cornwall's pesky Olivia Cook who snapped in her third goal of the series to tie it.
The Wolves host the Typhoons in game 4 at the Kinsmen Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Puck drops at 8:30.
Ice Wolves Draw First Blood
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves dropped the Cornwall Typhoons 4 - 3 at the SI Miller arena in Cornwall on Tuesday night in the series opener of their six point Eastern Zone playdown.
Teagan McLaren was the offensive star for the Wolves scoring two goals in the second period and completing her hat trick in the third by scoring the game winner. Meghan Steacy also scored for the Wolves and Michelle Good earned the win in goal with a solid effort, especially in the third period with the Typhoons crashing and banging the net at every opportunity.
Heather McLay, Sadie Whaley, Katie Gordanier, Sarah Small and Emily Kerr all earned assists in the game that coach Rick Small called a "workmanlike effort."
"I was hoping the girls would rebound after their less than spectacular tournament in Durham, and I think they gave a very solid effort. I thought we handled Cornwall's speed and played our brand of hockey very well," he said.
The coach went on to say that he expects Cornwall to come to game two with guns ablazin'. "This is the same team that smoked us in our own tournament and I don't expect they will lay down until the final buzzer of the final game. They want to win this as bad as we do so I expect game two to be even more intense than the first game," said the coach.
The Wolves host game two on Saturday, Feb 23, 6:30 PM at Center 70 Arena. On Sunday, they travel to the Typhoons' home away from home, the Maxville Arena, for 12:30 start for game three.
Midget AA Ice Wolves Wrap Up Regular Season
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves wrapped up their regular season on the weekend by splitting a pair of weekend games. On Saturday the Ottawa Lightning Midgets made their only appearance of the year at Center 70 Arena and the Wolves were anything but gracious hosts in blasting the visitors 6 - 0. Vanessa Hutchinson and Katie Gordanier each had a pair of goals while Meghan Steacy and Sadie Whaley had singles. Sarah Small had three assists, Melissa Ley had a pair and single helpers went to Teagan McLaren and Emily Kerr. Michelle Good earned her third shutout of the season in ODWHA League play.
On Sunday a short-handed contingent of Ice Wolves hopped on the bus for the long road trip to Aylmer, Quebec for their final regular season game with the Outaouais Intermediate A team. A rash of the flu had reduced the Wolves roster to 12 skaters and despite a valiant effort, they dropped a 2-1 decision to make their season record 12 wins, 5 losses and 3 ties for a total of 27 points.
Sadie Whaley had the only goal for the Wolves and Jess Allison took the loss in goal.
Wolves Stage Another Comeback Win
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves won their sixth game in a row in Ottawa District Womens Hockey Association league play by erasing an early one goal deficit at the Center 70 Arena on Thursday night. The Kanata Rangers took advantage of a sloppy line change by the Wolves early in the first period and jumped out to a 1-0 lead but Wolves' captain Sarah Small tied it by snapping home a rebound off a Meghan Steacy shot with just under one minute to play in the first.
Steacy scored what proved to be the winner on a breakaway early in the second with the Wolves on the power play. Neither team managed to score after that despite some good chances at both ends. Jess Allison picked up the win in goal for the Wolves.
The Wolves, who improved their ODWHA league record to 11 - 4 - 3 for 25 points, finish their regular season this weekend. On Saturday, the Ottawa Lightning are at the Center 70 arena for a 5:00 PM start and on Sunday the Wolves play their final regular season game at the Duchesnay Arena in Aylmer against the Outaouais Intermediate AA's.
League playoff games and OWHA playdown games have yet to be scheduled.
Wolves Rack up Two Shutouts
What a weekend for the Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves... two games, two wins, two shutouts!
On Saturday night at the Center 70 Arena, the Wolves hosted the Ottawa Ice Intermediates and blasted them 5-0. Emily Kerr was the offensive sparkplug for the Wolves scoring a natural hat trick, giving her five goals in her last two games. Emma Owen and Sarah Small also scored for the Wolves and veteran defender Jessica Higgs had three assists. Vanessa Hutchinson, Amelia Keech and Sadie Whaley also had helpers and Jess Allison picked up the shutout in goal for the Wolves.
The Wolves' biggest test of the season followed on Sunday. The Gloucester Stars, who have been in first place for most of the season and losers of only two games thus far in ODWHA action, invaded the Gananoque Recreation Center to face the Wolves... and what a game it was. From the opening faceoff, it was obvious that the pace of this game would be significantly quicker than Saturday's game.
The Wolves applied a one-two KO punch near the end of the first period. With 1:45 to play and the Wolves on the power play, rookie center Katie Gordanier blasted a howitzer over the shoulder of Stars' goalie Tia Marley to open the scoring. Then just 17 seconds later, Meghan Steacy took a Sarah Small pass, split the Stars' defence and buried a snap shot to up the count to 2-0.
Vanessa Hutchinson put it out of reach in the third with a sensational individual effort as she finished off a strong forecheck with linemate Emma Owen to make the final 3-0.
Michelle Good was flawless in the Wolves' goal in earning a very well deserved shutout.
Wolves' coach Rick Small says he believes his team is getting into a nice groove at just the right time. "Our biggest problem this season has been inconsistency. We have played some great games and then followed them up with some real dogs. But the last several weeks I have noticed the players battling hard every shift of every game and I think they all realize what it takes to win at this level. And with playoffs due to start in a couple weeks it could not come at a better time", he said.
The Wolves are at home this Thursday night as the Kanata Rangers invade the Center 70 Arena for a 7:30 start.
Wolves Wallop Thunder in ODWHA Action
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves used a balanced attack and tenacious defence to hammer the Rideau St Lawrence Thunder 7-1 at Center 70 Arena on Thursday night. The Wolves got production from all three lines and that has coach Rick Small very optimistic with playoffs just around the corner. "I was delighted with the effort on Thursday night. I think we have finally found the right line combinations and our defence are proving they can play a five player rotation," said the coach.
Emily Kerr led the attack with a pair of goals, and linemates Teagan McLaren (1 goal, 2 assists) and Sadie Whaley (1 goal, 1 assist) gave the line seven scoring points. Katie Gordanier and Meghan Steacy each scored once and linemate Sarah Small had a couple helpers, and Melissa Ley scored for the third straight game and added an assist, while her linemate Vanessa Hutchinson, recently moved to center in the shuffle, had the assist on Ley's goal, which was a picture perfect 2 on 1.
Laurel Charlesworth and Jess Higgs also had assists and Jess Allison, picked up the win in goal.
The Wolves will be busy this weekend, as the Ottawa Lightning invade the Center 70 Arena on Saturday, 6:30 game time, and on Sunday the Wolves play a home "road" game at the Gananoque Recreation Center against the league leading Gloucester Rangers. Puck drops at 5:30.
Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Win and Tie in ODWHA Action
As any regular watcher of "Coach's Corner" on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada would know, Don Cherry insists that the worst lead in hockey is a two goal lead. According to Grapes, teams play differently when they have a two goal lead. Players are so afraid of making mistakes that they become tentative and tend to lay back and abandon strong forechecking.
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves added credence to that theory as they earned 3 out of a possible 4 points in weekend in ODWHA action with a tie and win, and in both games they rebounded from two goal deficits.
On Saturday in Kanata, the Wolves fell behind 2-0 in the first but clawed their way back before the period ended as Melissa Ley and Sarah Small scored in a span of 50 seconds. The Rangers went ahead 3-2 late in the second forcing the Wolves to play catch-up in the third period. With less than three minutes remaining and the Wolves on the power play, they tied it off a scramble after some intense pressure. Teagan McLaren eventually banged it in with linemates Sadie Whaley and Emily Kerr drawing assists. Katie Gordanier and Vanessa Hutchinson also had assists.
Michelle Good came on in relief of starter Jessica Allison and played well to gain the tie.
On Sunday at the Kinsmen Arena in Kingston, the Wolves gave up two first period goals to the St Lawrence Thunder before buckling down in the second period. Teagan McLaren on a setup from Sadie Whaley broke the ice and Hannah Bagnall, playing only her second game on defence, tied it on a wicked wrist shot late in the second. The winner came early in the third, as Melissa Ley scooped up a rebound off a Vanessa Hutchinson shot, moved to her right and buried it on the forehand. Emma Owen, playing her first game on the wing, also drew an assist. Michelle Good picked up the win in goal.
Wolves' coach Rick Small was happy to pick up the three points on a weekend that two veteran defenders were out of the lineup. "We were missing Amelia Keech and Jess Higgs for both games so we had to call on players to step into roles they had little experience in", he said, referring to Hannah Bagnall suiting up on defence for both games and Emma Owen's debut as a forward on Sunday. "I thought they did an excellent job and it gives us more options with the lineup as we prepare for the playoffs."
The Wolves are at home to the Thunder again this Thursday at Center 70 Arena. Puck drops at 7:30 PM. On Saturday, the Ottawa Ice invade the Center 70 Arena for a 6:30 PM faceoff.
Tragically Hip Ice Wolves in January Doldrums
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves are hoping to get back on track this weekend after a mediocre performance at the Scarborough Sharks tournament and tough loss to the Cornwall Typhoons in ODWHA League action.
In Scarborough, the Wolves were in a particularly tough draw as they opened with a 2-0 loss to the eventual gold medal winners from Saugeen Maitland, downed the host Scarborough Sharks 2-0, and finished by losing 3-1 to the eventual silver medal winning Barrie Sharks.
Teagan McLaren had two of the Wolves three goals and Katie Gordanier had the other while Michelle Good recorded the shutout against the Sharks. Gordanier's goal came with less than three minutes remaining and the Wolves and Sharks deadlocked at zeroes. While playing two players short and with a faceoff in the Wolves' zone, Gordanier blocked a shot and raced in all alone to score the only goal the Wolves would need in that game.
On Saturday, the Wolves were in Cornwall for their final meeing of the season with their arch rivals. In a rough and tumble affair, the Wolves trailed 2-0 before Emily Kerr took a Heather McLay pass while playing short handed and snapped a bullet to the bottom corner to pull the Wolves to within one. They could not equalize and the game ended 2-1.
The Wolves travel to the Kanata Recreation Center on Saturday for a 1:00 PM faceoff with the Rangers and return home on Sunday to meet the Rideau St Lawrence Thunder. Puck drops at Kinsmen Arena at 3:30.
Many hockey experts will say that to be successfull a team must have strength down the middle and if that is the case, the Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves should be good to go in the second half of the 2007-08 season. The three Wolves' centers were dominant on both offence and defence on Saturday night as the Wolves thumped the Kanata Rangers 6-0 to kick off the new year.
On offence, the three Wolves' centers accounted for four goals and six scoring points. Rookie Katie Gordanier scored twice and added an assist, veteran Hannah Bagnall had a goal and a helper and another rookie, Sadie Whaley, scored once. On defence, all three centers were flying on the forecheck and, in the words of Wolves' coach Rick Small, "backchecking like demons" and eliminating much of the Rangers' attack.
Wolves' captain Sarah Small had a goal and an assist and Vanessa Hutchinson completed the scoring. Rookie Melissa Ley had two assists in her best game of the season for the Wolves.
Goalies Michelle Good and Jessica Allison shared goal tending duties and the shutout.
The Wolves are off to Scarborough this weekend to defend their title in the annual Sharks tournament. The Ice Wolves have actually won the Sharks tournament the last two years so they will be looking for a rare "three-peat".
Wolves Shut Out NCCP in OWG Playoff Action
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves downed the NCCP Raiders 2-0 at Kinsmen Arena on Tuesday night and moved into second place in the seven team playoff to see which team will represent Ottawa District at the Ontario Winter Games in Collingwood in February.
The Wolves dominated play from the opening faceoff but it was not until late in the first that Katie Gordanier one-timed a centering pass from Meghan Steacy to finish off a neat three way passing play with captain Sarah Small to give the locals the only goal they would need.
Speedy winger Emily Kerr provided the insurance midway through the second as she coralled a rolling puck off a pass from Teagan McLaren, deked an Ottawa defender and calmly waited for the Raiders' goalie to go down before sliding the puck into the open net.
Michelle Good, who was pressed into action when scheduled starter Jessica Allison could not go because of a head injury, was flawless in the Wolves' goal in earning the shutout.
The Wolves finish off the round robin this weekend with a trip to Gloucester on Saturday and a home game on Sunday vs Kanata Rangers. Faceoff on Sunday at Kinsmen arena is 1:30 PM. The win upped the Wolves' OWG record to 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie.
For complete OWG Eastern playoff standings, click here. For OWG website, click here.
Wolves on a Roll
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves have started to make a move up the ODWHA standings with two big wins on the weekend. The Wolves now sit in fourth place in their division with a record of five wins, three losses and a tie for eleven points.
On Saturday, the Wolves travelled down the 401 to Cornwall to do battle with the Typhoons at the Cornwall Civic Complex. The locals were still smarting from the 6-0 mauling they took at the hands of the Typhoons just two weeks earlier at the Kingston Cup Tournament.
Saturday's game had much more significance than just a mid-season league game because the OWHA had designated it as one of the Wolves' six qualifying games to see which team would represent the Ottawa District at the Ontario Winter Games in Collingwood. That fact certainly was not lost on the Hipsters as they came out flying and built a 4-0 lead by the five minute mark of the third period. Cornwall would add one on a power play with less than six minutes to play but Wolves' goalie Jess Allison, playing her best game in an Ice Wolves' uniform, would not let the Typhoons get any closer as she held off two late Cornwall power plays to secure the win.
The newly formed line of Sadie Whaley with Amelia Keech and Emily Kerr on the wings provided the offensive punch with Keech scoring twice and adding as assist and Whaley tallying a goal and two helpers. Kerr chipped in with an assist and all three were instrumental in the Wolves' penalty killing. Kate Gordanier had the other Wolves' goal and single assists went to Emma Owen, Laurel Charlesworth, Sarah Small and Jess Higgs.
The win evened the Wolves' OWG record at 1 win, 1 loss and 1 tie and gave them at least a glimmer of hope of advancing to the Winter Games in Collingwood. For complete OWG Eastern playoff standings, click here. For OWG website, click here.
On Sunday, the Wolves were on the road again, this time paying a visit to the Fred Barrett arena in Leitrim for their first meeting of the season with the Ottawa Ice Intermediates. As was the case one day earlier, the Wolves built up a 4-0 lead and played stifling defence on their way to a 5-1 win. Rookie defender Laurel Charlesworth had a huge game for the Wolves with a goal and two assists for a three point game. Amelia Keech and Vanessa Hutchinson had even strength goals and Jess Higgs and Meghan Steacy scored on the power play to round out the scoring. Katie Gordanier and Emily Kerr each had a pair of assists and single helpers went to Sarah Small and Heather McLay.
Michelle Good, while not tested nearly as often as Allison one day earlier, picked up the win in goal by only allowing a single power play goal.
The Wolves play their next OWG playoff game on Tues, Dec 11, at Kinsmen arena agains the NCCP Raiders. Faceoff time is 8:30 PM.
Wolves Lose and Tie in OWG Playoffs
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves have dug themselves into a hole in Ontario Winter Games Playoff action. The Wolves lost at home to the NCCP Capitals 2-1 and tied the top ranked Nepean Wildcats 2-2 at the Nepean Sportsplex on Tuesday night. The winner of the seven team round robin playoff (these three plus Kanata, Cornwall, Gloucester and NCCP Raiders) will represent ODWHA at the Ontario Winter Games in Collingwood in February.
At the Kinsmen arena on Nov 25, the Wolves and NCCP played two scoreless periods before Amanda Lucky scored to give the Caps the lead. Sadie Whaley tied it for the Wolves off a Meghan Steacy feed but Lucky scored her second of the game and the winner with just six minutes to play.
On Dec. 4 the Wolves travelled to Nepean to square off with one of the best teams in Ontario. With captain Sarah Small unable to make the trip due to illness and several other players sick or wounded, the Wolves knew this would be a true test of their grit. The high octane Wildcats came out flying and it looked like this one could get out of hand as they took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Chelsea Saunders and Sydnie MacDonald. But the Wolves fought their way back by scoring a power play goal late in the first when Teagan McLaren tipped a Becky Rose point shot.
The second period was fast and furious with great scoring chances and great saves at both ends. Neither team could score and the third period began with Nepean clinging to the slim one goal lead.
The Wolves tied it early in the third. After relentless pressure in the Nepean zone, Sadie Whaley converted a Vanessa Hutchinson pass and snapped home the equalizer.
Wolves' goalie Michelle Good was outstanding in earning the draw.
The Wolves are off to Cornwall this Saturday, Dec 8, to meet the Typhoons in game three of the OWG playoff. Puck drops at the Cornwall Civic Center at 2:30 PM.
Another Weekend of Mixed Results
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves competed in the Whitby Wolves Tournament on the weekend and had a win, a loss and a tie in three games. Here are the game results:
Game One Bluewater 6 Ice Wolves 2
As has been the case in several games this season, the Wolves started well and looked to be well on their way to another close game. The first period ended tied at ones with Sarah Small converting a Katie Gordanier pass for the Wolves. About halfway through the second, however, the Wolves found themselves in the middle of a category 5 hurricane named Ellen Hansen. The Sarnia speedster blitzkrieged the Wolves with three goals and two assists as the Hawks scored two in the second and three more in the third in the big win. Vanessa Hutchinson had pulled the Wolves to within one early in the third off a Hannah Bagnall feed but the Hawks replied with three goals in a little over four minutes to seal the win.
Game Two Ice Wolves 4 Barrie 3
This see-saw affair saw the Wolves fall behind early and come back with the winner halfway through the third. Amelia Keech, on a rocket from the point, Hannah Bagnall, Vanessa Hutchinson and Meghan Steacy had the Wolves' goals and Michelle Good picked up the win in goal.
Game Three Ice Wolves 2 Durham West Lightning 2
This is one the Wolves let slip away. They knew going in that they would need to win by a big score to advance to the medal round because of their lopsided defeat in game one. By the start of the third period, it appeared that was not going to happen as they trailed 1-0. But the Wolves rallied with a power play goal from Teagan McLaren on the first shift of the period and a short handed goal from Sadie Whaley with three minutes to play. But a defensive breakdown allowed the Lightning to tie the score with only 13 seconds remaining and the Wolves were sent packing.
Mixed Results for Midget AA Wolves
The Kingston Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Midget AA team had mixed results at the Kingston Cup tournament on the weekend. The Wolves played three very good games but faltered badly when they needed to be at their best and consequently found themselves on the outside looking in at the gold medal game between the Cornwall Typhoons and the Cambridge Roadrunners. Here are the results:
Game One Cornwall Typhoons 3 Ice Wolves 2
The Wolves came out flying at the Gananoque Rec Center and despite outplaying and outshooting their division rivals from Cornwall found themselves trailing 1 - 0 at the end of the first period. The second period produced more great action but neither team could score but by the midway point of the third the Typhoons had upped the count to 3-0 and appeared to have the game well in hand. However with less than five minutes to play and Wolves`goalie Michelle Good on the bench in favour of a sixth attacker, Teagan McLaren, who had just returned from an injury, slammed home a rebound off a Sarah Small shot and the Wolves had some life. With 30 seconds left in the game, and the Wolves still playing with six attackers, Katie Gordanier, who had also drawn an assist on McLaren`s goal, scored on a backhander from Small and Vanessa Hutchinson. The Wolves took the ensuing faceoff deep into the Cornwall zone and had a great chance at a tie but they could not get the equalizer and the game ended 3-2 Cornwall.
Game Two Ice Wolves 2 Cambridge Roadrunners 1
This time it was the Wolves scoring first as Meghan Steacy made a perfect deflection off a point shot by Laurel Charlesworth early in the first. Sarah Small also assisted on the goal. The Roadrunners tied it in the third but the Wolves scored the winner when Vanessa Hutchinson blasted a slapshot off a feed from Jess Higgs and rookie Sadie Whaley banged in the rebound. Jess Allison got the win in goal for the Wolves.
Game Three Ice Wolves 4 Peterborough Kats 3
As is the case in most tournaments, attrition takes its toll and that was certainly the case with the Ice Wolves. With several players under the weather or nursing injuries of one kind or another, the Wolves took to the ice to face the Kats. First place in the division was on the line and in a very gritty and emotional game, the Wolves rode the two goal performance of Amelia Keech, who was moved up to forward to fill in for some Wolves` injuries, to the big win. Vanessa Hutchinson and Teagan McLaren also scored for the Wolves while Sadie Whaley had a pair of helpers and Emma Owen had one. Jess Allison got the win in goal.
Semi Final Cornwall Typhoons 6 Ice Wolves 0
In a game that left Wolves`coach Rick Small somewhat disappointed, the Typhoons dominated from the opening faceoff and built a 3-0 lead by the end of the second enroute to the most lopsided defeat of the season for the Wolves. "I am not sure if it is Cornwall bringing out our worst or us bringing out their best but we sure have struggled against them at times this year. We are not a dominant team that can rely on talent alone, we really need to have all hands on deck each and every game and we did not have that tonight", he said.`
The Wolves play host to the NCCP Capitals this Sunday, 1:30 Kinsmen arena and then at 7:15 at the Gananoque Rec Center the Syracuse Stars will provide the opposition for another exhibition game. Coach Small said his team is looking forward to the next few weeks of elite competition. "This is a very critical time in the season for Midget AA players because university and college scouts are scouring the various tournaments looking to find recruits. Playing two exhibition games against very high caliber teams on the same day will help us get ready for the tournaments coming up in Whitby, Scarborough and Durham."
Funk Continues for Midget AA Ice Wolves
The Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves completed an exhausting three games in three nights stretch in ODWHA League action on Monday night by dropping a 2-1 decision to the Rideau St Lawrence Thunder. That loss combined with Saturday's 3-1 loss in Nepean and Sunday's 4-0 home ice shutout win over the Outaouais Intermediate AA's leaves the Wolves at .500 for the season with 3 wins, 3 losses and one tie.
In Nepean on Saturday, the Wolves fell behind early giving up two first period goals and a single in the second before digging down and taking the game to the Wildcats in the third. Meghan Steacy's goal late in the third from Laurel Charlesworth and Sarah Small made it close and a late flurry by the Wolves with the extra attacker in the final 90 seconds provided several great scoring chances but they could get no closer.
The Hipsters rebounded on Sunday at the Kinsmen arena as Melissa Ley and Meghan Steacy led the offensive charge and Jess Allison was flawless in goal in the convincing 4-0 win over Outaouais. Ley had a goal and two assists and Steacy scored twice for the Wolves while Sadie Whaley had a highlight reel goal in the third to complete the scoring.
On Monday night, the Wolves were back on the road as they travelled to the North Grenville Community Center to take on the Thunder. Kate Gordanier opened the scoring for the Wolves in the first on the power play but the Thunder countered with two power plays of their own, the second coming early in the third, and once again the Wolves could not equalize despite relentless pressure and numerous scoring chances.
Wolves' coach Rick Small was philosophical about his team's recent performance. "We do not seem to be in sync right now and even though the girls are working hard they are not scoring. I know they are getting frustrated but there is only one way to overcome this and that is to continue to work. We are getting chances but we are just not being rewarded with goals. Better now than in February, " he said. The coach went on to say that the team has been without the services of leading scorer Teagan McLaren for the past two weeks and several players, including veteran Hannah Bagnall and both goalies, have been stricken with some sort of flu. "That is no excuse, but it will be nice to get everyone healthy again and get back to business as usual."
The Wolves are making preparations for their home tournament, The Kingston Cup, this weekend. They play their first game in Gananoque on Friday, Nov 16, 10:00 AM vs Cornwall Typhoons and that promises to be a real barn burner. The complete tournament schedule is here.
Wolves Win Silver
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves travelled to the beautiful campus of Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, on the weekend to take part in the Hamilton Cup tournament. The Wolves won two and lost one in round robin play and ended up losing a heartbreaker to Syracuse Stars in the gold medal final. Here are the game results:
Game One Wolves 1 NCCP 0
Rookie goalie Michelle Good played her best game in a Wolves' uniform as she shut out the NCCP Capitals from Ottawa in a very entertaining contest. The teams played a fast paced game that saw great scoring chances at both ends and it wasn't until the final minute of the game that another Wolves' rookie, Katie Gordanier, slammed home a pass from linemates Sarah Small and Meghan Steacy to give the Hip the big win.
Game Two Wolves 2 Burlington 1
The Wolves played another nail biter in game two. This time, they had to rebound from a one goal defecit to gain the win. After Burlington had scored a power play goal in the first, Emily Kerr tied it for the Wolves just two minutes later. As was the case in the first game, both teams kept the pressure up for the remainder of the game and both goalies made great saves to keep the score even. With just two minutes left in the third, Wolves veteran Sarah Small scored the winner on a wrap around with assists going to Heather McLay and Melissa Ley. Wolves' goalie Jess Allison was forced to leave the game in the first period and Michelle Good came on in relief with another outstanding effort.
Game Three Syracuse Stars 4 Wolves 3
This was a meaningless game for both teams as they knew they would have to meet in the gold medal game the next morning regardless of the outcome. Given that it was the Wolves' third game in ten hours and that most of the players were on the road at 6:30 AM, Wolves' coach Rick Small just hoped to get through the game without any injuries so his team could go back to the hotel and prepare for battle on Sunday morning. To their credit, the Wolves gave all they had to give as Emily Kerr scored her second of the tournament on a power play in the first and Meghan Steacy had a pair of third period goals as the Wolves came within an eyelash of gaining a tie.
Gold Medal Game
Syracuse Stars 2 Wolves 0
For most of the game, this was everything a gold medal game should be. The two best teams playing fast, highly entertaining hockey with great scoring chances at both ends. But the wheels fell off for the Ice Wolves in the final 10 minutes of the third period and it was not of their own doing. First, it was a somewhat questionable penalty for "too many men" halfway through the third that the Ice Wolves killed. Then, just as they were preparing to go all-out for the win, they were tagged with another questionable penalty for interference on a play that clearly was two players getting tangled up with no intent to impede. Or as coach Small said after the game, "The referee should not have called a penalty there but if there was one at all, it was their player holding our player's stick." Then, as the Wolves player tried to explain that her stick was being held, she was tagged with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that really was the final nail.
The Stars promptly scored on both power plays and claimed the Hamilton Cup.
Wolves' Unbeaten Streak Ends
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves lost their first game of the season on Thursday night as the visiting Nepean Wildcats broke a 1-1 deadlock with a controversial power play goal with under two minutes to play at Center 70 Arena.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Alexe Papineau got behind the Wolves' defence after a failed clearing attempt and calmly picked the bottom corner. Rookie Sadie Whaley tied it for the Wolves early in the second off a power play scramble with Teagan McLaren drawing the assist. The rest of the second period and most of the third was knock em down, drag em out hockey with goalies Jessica Haskins of the 'Cats and the Wolves' Jess Allison holding their teams in, both coming up with excellent saves on several occasions.
The game was decided on a strange play that had Wolves' coaches a bit upset. Kingston's Meghan Steacy was called for roughing with less than three minutes to play and the Wildcats put pressure on the Kingston penalty killers for 30 seconds before the referee signalled another Kingston penalty to defenceman Laurel Charlesworth. Before the Wolves could touch the puck to draw the whistle Nepean's Courtney Stevens blasted a 35 foot slapshot that Ice Wolves' goalie Jess Allison did not see.
In a post game interview, Kingston coach Rick Small was disappointed at the way the goal was scored. "Their forward was definitely interfering wth our goalie, no question. The referee's explanation was that their forward was pushed into our goalie and that was why the penalty to Charlesworth was called. But she stayed in the crease for about 10 seconds and (Kingston goalie) Allison had no chance to stop the puck. There is no way that goal is scored if Jess can see the puck, " he said.
The Wolves are off this weekend and next see action November 3 and 4 when they travel to Clinton, New York, to take part in the Hamilton College Showcase tournament.
Wolves Tie Stars to Remain Undefeated
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves needed a goal from veteran forward Sarah Small in the final minute of the game to salvage a 3-3 draw with the Gloucester Stars at the Ray Friel arena in Gloucester on Saturday evening. The game was a see-saw battle that was played at warp speed between two of the top teams in the ODWHA Midget AA league.
After a scoreless first period, the Wolves drew first blood early in the second when rookie Katie Gordanier took a pass from Teagan McLaren at the Stars' blue line, powered in off the left wing and beat Gloucester goalie Tia Marley with a laser snap shot. Emma Owen also drew an assist on the play. The Stars equalized at the ten minute mark on a power play goal by Kaitlin Deavy but Emily Kerr restored the Wolves' lead just two minutes later as she stole the puck just outside the Kingston blue line, streaked in all alone and fired a bullet to the stick side.
As the second period wound down, Gloucester again knotted the score on a goal from Karine Thibault and they took their only lead of the game on another power play goal in the first minute of the third as Chantale Archambault's low shot got by Michelle Good in the Wolves' goal.
The two teams battled furiously through the rest of the third but it wasn't till the last minute that the real fireworks began. With Wolves ' goalie Good on the bench in favour of a sixth attacker, Small picked up the puck on the right wing boards off a cycle pass from Emily Kerr, eluded two Gloucester checkers as she moved into the slot and let go a seeing eye backhander to the glove side to knot the score. The drama continued as each team came within an eyelash of winning the game in the final 35 seconds.
First it was the Ice Wolves who took the ensuing faceoff from center deep into Gloucester territory and had two good whacks at the winner before drawing a faceoff in the Stars's zone with 18 seconds on the clock. Then it was the Stars who took that faceoff all the way down to the Wolves' zone and almost had a point blank shot at the winner before Kingston's Meghan Steacy made a desperation dive to knock the puck into the corner as the final buzzer rang.
The Wolves face another huge test this week as they host the high flying Nepean Wildcats at Center 70 arena on Thursday, Oct. 25. Puck drops at 7:30.
Ice Wolves Win on the Road
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves, with veteran Jess Allison in goal, won their second game in a row on Tuesday night as they eked out a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Ice at the Sandy Hill Arena in Ottawa. The Wolves looked anything like the well-oiled machine that dropped the Cornwall Typhoons in Kingston on Sunday but despite the lacklustre effort they managed to build a 3-0 lead by midway through the third period on goals by Teagan McLaren, Meghan Steacy off a Sadie Whaley feed and Vanessa Hutchinson from linemates Katie Gordanier and Melissa Ley.
The Wolves must have thought the third was only a ten minute period because it looked like they took the second half off. They were very lax in allowing the Ice to score two goals in the final ten minutes, the last coming with only 53 seconds remaining, to make the game close. Both Ottawa goals came off giveaways by the Wolves and that had coach Rick Small a little upset after the game. "Our message to the players is that we have a system and we play the same way every shift from first to last. We certainly did not do that tonight. We turned the puck over more tonight than in any game so far this year and that includes the exhibition games," he said.
The Wolves are back in action this Saturday when they travel back to the nation's capital to tangle with the Gloucester Stars. Gametime at the Ray Friel arena is 5:30 PM. On Thursday Oct 25 the Wolves entertain the high octane Nepean Wildcats at the Center 70 arena. Gametime is 7:30PM.
Wolves Win Opener
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves began the 2007-08 regular season exactly the way they ended the 2006-07 regular season... with a win. The Wolves did not lose a game last season in ODWHA league play compiling a record of 14 wins and 6 ties. On Sunday, Oct 14, they won their home opener by downing the Cornwall Typhoons 3-2 in a fast paced game at the Kinsmen Arena.
The Wolves, who had lost two pre-season exhibition games and one tournament game to the Cornwall crew, started quickly and carried the play from the outset but found themselves trailing 1-0 at the end of the first as the Typhoon's Morgan Brown notched a power play goal at the 11:23 mark. Wolves' rookie Katie Gordanier tied it three minutes into the second by jamming home a Teagan McLaren pass and McLaren gave the Wolves the lead three minutes later by sniping a feed from Sarah Small on a Wolves' power play.
The second period wound down with Cornwall tying the score at twos on a power play goal by Lexi Reagan at the 10 minute mark but another Wolves rookie, Emily Kerr, scored the winner just 13 seconds later off a perfect three way passing play with Meghan Steacy and Heather McLay.
Michelle Good, making her regular season debut in goal for the Wolves, picked up a well deserved win by shutting the door on the speedy Cornwall snipers. Most notable was a save off Cornwall's most dangerous forward, Renee Lortie, who got behind the Ice Wolves defence late in the third and went in all alone.
Wolves' coach Rick Small said his team was focused and determined to start the season off with a win over their biggest rivals. "Cornwall pretty much owned us in pre-season with three straight come from behind wins so it sure was nice to turn the tables today", he said. "We were able to match their speed which is one thing we could not do in the exhibition games. I also thought our compliment of rookies played extremely well, from Good in net to Kerr, Gordanier and Whaley up front and McLay, Charlesworth, Owen and Rose on defence. They have improved so much in the last month that they don't look like rookies any more."
The Wolves make two visits to Ottawa this week. On Tuesday, Oct 16, they are at the Sandy Hill arena to take on the Ottawa Ice at 7:00 PM and on Saturday, Oct 20, they travel to the Friel arena to square off with Gloucester. Puck drops at 5:30.
Wolves Drop Final Exhibition Game
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves lost their final pre-season game to archrival Cornwall Typhoons 3-2 at the Kinsmen Arena on Sept 23. The Wolves, with their complete roster of players with the exception of center Vanessa Hutchinson, looked infinitely better than they did in their earlier 5-2 loss to the Typhoons one month ago.
The locals got off to a rocky start when Cornwall forward Lexi Reagan stole the puck while short handed and squeezed one past Michelle Good in the Wolves' net just three minutes into the opening period. Cornwall's Renee Lortie made it 2-0 with her first of two midway through the second but the Wolves stormed back in the last five minutes of the period as two rookies, Sadie Whaley and Katie Gordanier, scored in the last five minutes to knot the score at twos.
A power play goal by Lortie early in the third completed the scoring and gave the visitors the lead they would not give up despite ferocious pressure by the Ice Wolves. Jess Allison played the final two periods in goal for Kingston. The Ice Wolves will be in Oshawa this weekend for the annual Lady Generals tournament. They will meet the host Generals in their tournament opener on Friday, Sept 28. Here is the schedule
Wolves Appoint Assistant Coach
Rick Small, head coach of the Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves, is pleased to announce the appointment of Fiona Aiston to the position of assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. Fiona, who is in her first year of Medicine at Queen's University, grew up in Ottawa. She played her minor hockey with the NCCP program, winning Provincial gold medals in both Bantam and Midget. In 2002 she enrolled at Laurier University where she played the past four seasons with the Golden Hawks. For the uninitiated, the Laurier women's hockey team has won five straight Provincial championships and were National champions in 2004-05.
"I am absolutely delighted to have a person with Fiona's background to assist this season. She has a wealth of experience in hockey having played four seasons with a first class program like Laurier. But the real bonus is her experience as a student. She will be able to mentor these girls as they prepare for their post secondary lives and offer real life advice. I am in awe of anyone that can play varsity sports at the highest level and still maintain the scholastic standing required to be accepted into medical school. She is a great addition to the Ice Wolves organiziation and to the Midget AA team," said Coach Small.
Midget AA Ice Wolves Prepare for Season
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves are making final preparations for the 2007-08 season. The Wolves, who are coming off a remarkable undefeated 2006-07 regular season in the ODWHA Midget AA division, will play two road exhibition games this weekend.
On Saturday, August 25, the Wolves will travel to the Strathcona Paper Center in Napanee to meet the Cornwall Typhoons. Puck drops at 1:30. The next day the Wolves will be at the Nepean Sportsplex for a 6:00 PM faceoff with the Wildcats.
Wolves coach Rick Small says most of his team has been on the ice for scrimmage this summer and they appear to be chomping at the bit to get started. "As with any team you can only scrimmage against each other so many times and then you want to play a game against another team and see how you measure up. Although we will be somewhat shorthanded this weekend, the players who will be on the ice will be ready to do battle". he said.
The coach explained that some key players will be unable to play this weekend due to job and other commitments and he has extended an invitation to some Bantam AA players to play on the weekend. "We have had a few Bantams with us all summer and believe me when I say they do not look out of place" He went on to say that goalie Kate Milligan will play the Sunday game in Nepean while both forward Molly Doherty and defenceman Jessa McAuliffe will be in the lineup for both weekend games.
On Saturday, rookie goalie Michelle Good will be making her first start with the Wolves. She was signed from the Gananoque Bantam B boys' team after playing a tryout game in Peterborough in May and has been on the ice with the Wolves all summer.
Other rookies that will be playing this weekend are Emily Kerr, a third year player who comes to the Wolves from the Perth organization, Katie Gordanier, Sadie Whaley, Heather McLay and Melissa Ley from last year's Ice Wolves Bantam AA team and Becky Rose, Emma Owen and Vanessa Hutchinson who skated for the Wolves' Midget BB team last year.
Veterans Amelia Keech, Hannah Bagnall, Sarah Small, Meghan Steacy and Teagan McLaren will also be in the lineup for one or both games.
Wolves Announce Manager
I am pleased to announce that Myron and Yvonne Keech have agreed to act as managers of the MidgetAA Ice Wolves for the 2007-08 season. Both have given many hours in the past in various positions within the Ice Wolves organization and I feel very fortunate to have both of them onboard.
Rick Small
Wolves Announce Exhibition Series
The Kingston Tragically Hip Midget AA Ice Wolves have accepted an invitation to play in a very unique international exhibition series at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York during the weekend of November 3 and 4.
The Wolves along with the Toronto Aeros, Syracuse Stars and Ottawa NCCP will play a mini tournament. The format is expected to be a three game round robin and a one game final.
Wolves' coach Rick Small is excited about the opportunity to play three very high caliber teams early in the season. "The two Canadian teams will be among the very best in Ontario and I am sure Syracuse will be strong also so this will be a great test for our team. The coaches at Hamilton College are also setting up a campus tour and an opportunity to watch their team practice so it will give our players a great perspective on hockey at the US College Division III level."
Kingston Tragically Hip Ice Wolves Will Play in Gananoque Aug 23, 2007
For the second season in a row, the Kingston Ice Wolves Midget AA hockey team will play an exhibition game at the Gananoque Recreation Center. Last year, the Wolves hosted the eventual Ontario bronze medal winning Nepean Wildcats and defeated them in a very entertaining game by a score of 5-3. This year, the Wolves will tangle with the West Northumberland Wild, whose home base is Cobourg.
The game is slated for Saturday, Sept 8 at 6:00 PM at the Rec Center.
The Wolves have added another Gananoque product this season. Michelle Good, who has been a top goalie for both the Gananoque Royals girls' and the Gananoque Islanders boys' programs, will join two other local players. Sarah Small and Meghan Steacy are both in their third season with the Wolves.
Ice Wolves' coach Rick Small, himself no stranger to hockey in Gananoque, says his team is looking forward to playing in front of the fans in Gananoque. "Last year we had a great turnout and I was very touched by the warm reception we received from the fans in Gananoque. In the weeks that followed that game, I had many people ask me if we would be coming back this year and I decided if there was any way we could make it happen we would do it. Sue Smith (Gananoque Recreation facilitator) called me and said there was some icetime available so I jumped at the chance to bring my team back to the best little hockey town in Ontario" he said.
