The Wolves closed the regular season Monday afternoon in Lakeshore with a game versus the St. Anne Saints. Played at the Atlas Tube Centre, the Saints beat the Wolves by a final score of 4-0.
The final record for North Star during the season ends at 3-5-2 and eight points.
The Wolves were in action last Wednesday on home ice in a rematch with the St. Thomas of Villanova Wildcats. North Star won 2-1 in LaSalle Jan. 9 but Villanova exacted some revenge last week, picking up a 4-0 shutout at the Libro Centre.
Aria Pare said the Wolves could have played better, stating “I don’t think it was our best game.” She said they have good players, but Villanova came out strong.
“They were definitely giving it their all,” said Pare. “I don’t think we were ready for the way we should have been. I think they wanted it more than us.”
“We expected them to be fired up,” added teammate Emma Hadfield. “We were flat-footed early but we picked it up in the third.”
Hadfield and Pare agreed the Wolves didn’t give up and showed some fight, even when they got down by multiple goals.
Wolves coach Dan Pettypiece was fine with how they played but believed the Wildcats wanted to prove something.
“The effort was there. They were on the hunt for us today. They were coming for us today,” he said.
The Wolves were a step behind the Wildcats all day, he believed.
“You can’t be a step behind against this team,” he said.
Despite the 4-0 loss, Pettypiece said there was an upside.
“You want to have a stinker of a game before the playoffs,” he said. “It brought us back down to Earth.”
If the Wolves show the same effort in the playoffs, they should be successful, he believed. North Star drops down to the WECSSAA “AA” playoffs after playing Tier 1 in the regular season and Pettypiece thinks they could be in a good spot. That comes with a caution.
“Any team can beat any other team any given day,” he said. “They know they have to show up.”
The Wolves girls hockey team picked up a win their first game back following exams.
The Wolves hosted the Holy Names Knights Feb. 3 at the Libro Centre and came away with a 2-1 win. June Buchner had a goal and an assist for North Star with Laia Weigel also scoring for the Wolves.Weigel scored in the second period with Buchner tallying in the third period.
“We played well with a lot of good passing,” said North Star’s Cierrah Carter.
Carter said everyone on the Wolves is encouraging and they have a great bench. Grace DeThomasis, who picked up the win in goal, also credited her teammates for staying positive and encouraging one another.
“They keep you in the game,” she said.After she allowed the Holy Names goal, scored by Emily Owen, DeThomasis said the rest of the Wolves helped her get past it.
“They helped me get over it,” said DeThomasis.
Carter said they have to keep passing well and make sure they look when they pass to ensure they get to their intended target. DeThomasis added they are playing well this season, especially since they are playing against larger schools.
“We’re playing Tier 1 this season,” she said. “I don’t think we expected to do this well.”
“Our team has a lot of potential,” added Carter.
Pettypiece said the start of the Feb. 3 game resembled how they played the last time they went up against Holy Names. In the 4-4 tie against the Knights in Windsor Jan. 16, the Wolves came out sloppy and slow.
“This game started off a little bit like that,” said Pettypiece.
The game Monday was a tight game and Pettypiece said the coaches are trying to work with their players to get better offensively.
“We’re trying to get them to take more shots,” he said. “If you don’t take shots, you are not going to score.”
Pettypiece said they are too concerned about getting as close to the net as they can before shooting. Other players are the ones who have to drive the net, Pettypiece added, to try and be the first to rebounds and score “greasy” goals. He said they get caught watching the puck carrier shoot a bit too much instead of getting to the net themselves.
Even though there is room to improve, the North Star coaches are pleased with the girls overall. He said the effort is always there and the players are working on everything the coaches ask of them. The Wolves have tough games to wrap up the regular season this week but will drop back to the “AA” level for the playoffs.
“Hopefully the exposure of playing against the bigger schools helps us at playoff time,” said Pettypiece.
The Wolves still have to work hard and put in the work no matter who they play, he indicated.
For the first time in a while this hockey season, the Wolves had a full bench as there were no players who missed Monday afternoon’s game due to illness or injury.
“It’s nice to have everyone on the bench,” said Pettypiece.
The affiliate players (AP) that filled in did a good job, which is what they are there to do, he added.
The St. Thomas of Villanova Wildcats are at the Libro Centre today (Wednesday) at 3 p.m. with the Wildcats looking for retribution for a Jan. 9 2-1 loss the Wolves handed them in LaSalle. The regular season concludes against a strong St. Anne team next Monday at the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre in Lakeshore at 3 p.m.
With Monday’s victory, North Star’s record is now 3-3-2, good for eight points, through their first eight games.
Wolves girls hockey team finishes regular season
By Ron Giofu
Comments