Wolves girls hockey team plays well in win and loss last week

North Star’s Tyler Lamarche (18, white jersey) takes a shot during the third period of her team’s 1-0 loss in Essex last Thursday afternoon.

The North Star Wolves girls hockey team won a game and lost a game last week, but the coaches were happy with their team’s effort in both games.

The most recent game was a 1-0 loss to the Essex Red Raiders last Thursday afternoon at the Essex Centre Sports Complex. Grace Brindley scored the lone goal of the game for Essex while Grace Ondracka picked up the shutout.

Despite the loss, the Wolves were pleased with how they played.

“I thought it was a good team effort,” said Lorelei Gatti. “We had good team spirit right up until the end.”

Teammate Ashley Mongeau said they worked hard but just couldn’t pull off the win.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted,” said Mongeau.

Wolves coach Dan Pettypiece pointed out they started the week Jan. 5 in Windsor with a 3-0 victory over Lajeunesse. Zoey Deschamps, Rayah Crawford and Tyler Lamarche scored for North Star in that hockey game.

“They played really, really well,” said Pettypiece, who coaches the team with Bill Atkinson and Carly LeBlanc. “Everyone contributed. There were a few things we have to clean up.”

The game in Essex was “by far” the best game the Wolves have played but the result didn’t reflect that. He said solid goaltending by the Red Raiders and a few bad breaks prevented the Wolves from getting a better outcome.

“That’s the way we want them to play,” said Pettypiece.

There were some injuries and illnesses that caused some players to miss last Thursday’s game, but Pettypiece emphasized they still had a good game.

“It was a good, gutsy effort,” he said.

Both games following the Christmas break saw the Wolves play well, he added. In a tournament just before the break, Pettypiece said they faced off against good competition including Essex, Villanova and Chatham-Kent.

The Wolves have to make better choices of when to shoot, with Pettypiece stating this year’s team have to get the “greasy” goals and battle hard to get them. Getting to rebounds will be a priority, he indicated.

“We’re not going to score many pretty goals,” he said.

The players have to have the confidence to get the job done, and he said they are doing so.

“I can believe in them all I want,” said Pettypiece. “They have to believe in themselves.”

The Wolves are now 2-4 through their first six games this season.

The next game for North Star is today (Jan. 14) at the Libro Centre versus the Erie Migration Coyotes. Faceoff is at 3 p.m. They will then be off for the exam break and their first game after that will be Feb. 4 at home in a rematch against Essex, also at 3 p.m.

Wolves girls hockey team plays well in win and loss last week

By Ron Giofu