Wolves girls hockey team settles for tie against Erie Migration

North Star’s Lorelei Gatti (67, white jersey) handles the puck during second period action last Wednesday afternoon at the Libro Centre.

The North Star Wolves girls hockey team faced off against the Erie Migration Coyotes last week and both teams left with a point.

The Wolves and Coyotes battled to a 2-2 tie last Wednesday at the Libro Centre with Rayah Crawford and Cierrah Carter scoring for the Amherstburg school while Mackenna Krushelnisha and Stella Bavetta had the goals for the Kingsville school.

“I think we worked hard but there is definitely room for improvement,” said North Star goalie Lexi Gignac. “There’s nothing a couple of practices couldn’t fix, especially with the coaches we have.”

Centre Daphne MacInnes said they gained confidence throughout the game, despite not beginning the game as the Wolves would have liked.

“We started off slow but we got better,” said MacInnes.

Both Gignac and MacInnes said they know they have to start games better and work harder right away. They added they are thankful to the coaches and everyone who has worked to put the team together.

Coach Dan Pettypiece also pointed out the Wolves got off to a slow start in the Jan. 14 game.

“It took a while to get our feet moving again,” said Pettypiece.

Pettypiece credited the Erie Migration goaltender for playing a strong game, adding the Wolves have faced strong goaltending throughout this season. He said there were opportunities when North Star was up 2-1 to go up 3-1 or 4-1 but were stymied by the Coyotes netminders.

The Wolves also try to stay strong on the forecheck and worry about the game in front of them, instead of trying to make too many backhand passes and worry about players behind them.

Tyler Casey (77) is stopped on a second period scoring chance.

Small mistakes cost the Wolves in last week’s game, he added, but said they had a strong second half of the game, especially in the third period.

“Overall, it was a great effort,” said Pettypiece. “We never have a problem with the effort we get with them. It was a great effort. We’re happy with it.”

Through seven games, the Wolves’ record is 2-4-1 for five points. They don’t play again until after the exam break, with their next game being at the Libro Centre Feb. 4 against the Essex Red Raiders at 3 p.m. They travel to Leamington to play Cardinal Carter Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. before concluding the regular season Feb. 9 at home with a 3 p.m. game versus Belle River.

Wolves girls hockey team settles for tie against Erie Migration

By Ron Giofu