After a disappointing 6-4 home ice loss to the Ridge Meadows Flames on Saturday (Sept. 18), the 麻豆社国产Wolfpack traveled to Mission on Sunday (Sept. 19) and managed to pick up their first win of the season, beating the Icebreakers 5-4.
According to Wolfpack head coach Matt Samson, the foundation for the win came from their late game rally against the Flames on Saturday (Sept. 18).
"Basically our game plan going in was to continue the momentum we had from the third period against Ridge Meadows," he said.
"We looked at Sunday's game as a must-win game. We really didn't want to go 0-4 to start the season. I think we have a good enough team and the coaching staff put a lot of pressure on the guys to push forward against Mission."
The Wolfpack dominated the first period against Mission, pulling out to a 4-1 lead and outshooting them 10-4 after the first frame. Marcus Chabot potted two goals, while Trevor Kang and Connor Cross also scored.
The second period saw Mission creep back into the game, scoring two goals in 1:36 only to see Khalin Marsolis push the lead back to two goals. Mission added a late goal to make it a 5-4 game.
Samson was pleased with the team's performance against Mission.
"We killed off a five on three and our power play is looking better," he said. "We're making better reads and are making it tough in front of the net for the other team."
He also said that the goaltending was up to par.
"I couldn't fault Jordan [Liam] on many of the goals," he said. "But as far as our number one goalie goes, it's still up in the air."
Saturday (Sept.18) saw the Wolfpack drop their second straight at home but not before nearly orchestrating an impressive comeback.
The team came out strong against Ridge Meadows in the first but just couldn't bury their chances. The Flames then added two late goals, including a power play marker with 52 seconds left to pull ahead 2-0 after one.
"The first period was almost a carbon copy of our game from last week against Richmond," Samson said. "We took a late penalty and then our coverage broke down on the kill."
The Flames took over in the second, adding two more goals and dominated most of the period. Goalie Shanson Lunny was pulled partway through the second after allowing four goals on 14 shots, during what Samson called an "off-night" for him. Johann Peterson got the call to replace Lunny and played a solid game, stopping 21 of 23 in relief. 麻豆社国产managed to get on the board with a late goal from Ty Babych.
"The late goal really energized us," Samson said. "But you can't fall behind 4-0 in your own barn and expect to win."
The third period saw 麻豆社国产light the lamp three times with Chabot scoring twice and Kang adding a single. However, the Flames wouldn't let 麻豆社国产back into the game, scoring two of their own to stifle the comeback and win 6-4.
The Wolfpack took on Richmond on Thursday (Sept. 23) but results were not available at press time. The next home game will take place on Saturday (Sept. 25) when the Wolfpack hosts Mission at the Brennan Park Arena. Face-off is set for 7:15 p.m.
For more information on the team, visit www.squamishwolfpack.com.
