THE North Van Wolf Pack junior B hockey team plays their final home game of 2011 tomorrow night at Harry Jerome recreation centre and if the last four months are any indication, things are looking up for an exciting 2012 for the club.
The Pack moved from Squamish to North Van this summer after enduring a horrendous 2010-11 season in which the club had trouble attracting talent up the Sea to Sky Highway and won only six games all year. This season in their new North Shore home they've already eclipsed that mark with a record of 10-11-1-2 as of Friday, just past the halfway mark of their 44-game season. They aren't setting the Pacific International Junior Hockey League on fire but they're not in the basement either, sitting fourth in the stacked Tom Shaw Conference and locked in a three-way battle with North Delta and Grandview for two playoff spots.
Assistant coach Phil Kinninmont said it certainly feels good to be playing games that actually mean something this year after last year's struggles.
"It's huge," Kinninmont told the North Shore News." You don't need to motivate the kids - you look at the standings every day and it makes you work harder. It's kind of uncharted territory for us. . . . It's kind of a different vibe around the team, it's fun going to the rink every day."
A big part of the team's turnaround has come from an infusion of talent from young North Shore players. The Wolf Pack currently has 10 North Shore players on the team, including a set of twins who were recently called up and have made a huge impact in a short amount of time.
North Vancouver's Dyllan and Spencer Quon tried out for the team in the summer but were sent back to the North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association's Midget A1 team.
"We had them penciled in at the end of main camp but we thought they needed a little bit more seasoning," said Kinninmont. Since rejoining the team in November Dyllan, a defenceman, has scored three goals in nine games while Spencer, a winger, has notched 11 points in 10 games. In an important 3-2 home win over Grandview Dec. 10 Dyllan scored a pair of goals and was named the game's first star while Spencer picked up an assist and was named third star.
"They've just been a huge help to our team and given us a big lift," said Kinninmont. "We though they wouldn't quite be ready to make the jump this year but they've proven us wrong. It's a credit to them working hard and keeping a good attitude. They're really nice kids and now that their opportunity came up they've certainly seized it and they're a huge part of the team."
Kinninmont said the team is building relationships off the ice with all of the North Shore's minor hockey associations, with North Van Minor leading the way. "Without (North Van Minor) we probably wouldn't be down here."
On the ice, veteran Brady Bjornson, the team's only 20-yearold player, is leading the way for the Wolf Pack with 31 points in 22 games.
"Brady's a horse, he's all work," said Kinninmont. "He's a pretty quiet guy but he just goes out and leads by example. . . . He went through the last two years in Squamish where it was pretty bleak and it's nice to see a guy get rewarded and enjoy the winning and hopefully see a couple of playoff rounds come March."
Other players making big contributions include forward Marcus Houck and defenceman Ben McWilliams of North Vancouver as well as Vancouver's Jamie Creamore up front and Coquitlam's Jordan Liem in goal.
The whole team is young and hungry, said Kinninmont, adding that they've got 14 rookies on their 23-man roster while facing far more experienced clubs like North Delta, with three rookies, and Richmond, with eight.
"It's not an excuse, it's just kind of a reality," he said. "We've got a really great core of guys, they're all really keen to learn, hard working. I think we've made some really good decisions on picking up guys and trades and everything - everyone that's here wants to be here. It's a pretty nice vibe around the team."
The Pack are hoping to share those good vibes Monday night as they put on their first big community charity night, collecting donations for the food bank before they take on North Delta at 7 p.m. at Harry Jerome.
"We'd love to get a few hundred people in there - we contacted the food bank and they said it's been one of their leanest years ever for donations," said Kinninmont. "It's not going to make or break anything but I think it's good karma and you want to help out where you can. The guys on our team are in a great position - they're healthy, they're young, they're getting to play junior hockey for a living - so it's nice to be able to get out and do a few things for other people and realize you're living a pretty good life."
