The North Van Wolf Pack are having themselves a merry little Christmas and a happy New Year, riding a seven game win streak that started in early December and continued through the Winter Classic PJHL showcase held over the weekend in Richmond.
The streak was topped by a 2-1 overtime win over the league leading Delta Ice Hawks in a game played at 10 a.m. Saturday at Richmond Arena.
“Both teams came to play early Saturday morning,” said Wolf Pack head coach Bayne Koen. “We played well and so did they.”
It was a daunting task for the Wolf Pack, as the Ice Hawks came into the game with 30 wins against just two losses and one overtime loss, having outscored their previous two opponents 23-1.
“They’re a very fast-paced skill-set team that likes to push the puck offensively,” said Koen of the Ice Hawks. “They like to get teams running around, and they’ve got some guys up front that can strike real quick. You’ve got to be aware when their lines are on the ice, they have depth all the way through.”
Delta struck first with a goal from Michael Araki-Young in the opening period but North Van replied with a power play goal from Caleb Holonko in the second. In the third period Holonko earned a five minute major and game misconduct for checking from behind, but the Pack killed off the penalty, giving the team a big boost.
“That’s a game-changer right there,” said Koen of the five-minute penalty kill. “I thought we did a good job. We bent but didn’t break.”
The game went into the second overtime period and, with the teams playing three-on-three, Wolf Pack points leader Mitch Ledyard ripped home a sudden game-winner.
“It happened so quick,” said Koen, adding that he wasn’t even looking at the play when the goal went in. “I was talking to a couple of guys and getting the next set of guys ready to go out, and their D-man just kind of walked out, turned it over a bit and Mitch jumped on it before it went over the blue line and got a shot off. … It was a bit of a broken play. He just got inside the dots and let it go.”
It was no cheap win either, as the Pack outshot the Ice Hawks 35-24 in the game. Goaltender Jonathan Holloway recorded 23 saves for the victory. North Van followed that win up with 3-0 shutout of Port Moody Sunday in Richmond to run their unbeaten streak to seven and move into a second-place tie with the Richmond Sockeyes in the PJHL’s Tom Shaw Conference with 49 points through 34 games. Koen said he’s noticed a change in his team during the streak, as the young Wolf Pack players have learned what it takes to play at the junior level.
“A lot of these guys had never been in junior hockey,” said Koen. “We’ve got a really good leadership group in our dressing room this year and I think that’s helped a lot. The 20-year-olds and 19-year-olds, and even some of the 18-year-olds, they may not all have Cs and As on their jersey but they’re doing a really good job helping.”
The team is learning that there are no nights off at this level, said Koen.
“It’s a developmental league so you’re going to have your ups and downs, but for the most part I think it’s just maturity and having the process under you for four or five months now,” he said about the improvements he’s seen in the team. “You have off days during the year where it’s not clicking or some guys just haven’t shown up, and that’s where you depend on your vets to make sure the message is sent to them and to the young guys that we have to be accountable every day. And I think that’s a big part of what’s gone on here the last month. During the year the guys are buying in and they’re understanding that there is a process to this and it’s not just go out and play and hope for the best. You have to manage things, accountability away from the rink and also at the rink.”
Koen credited a leadership group that included Ledyard, Holonko, Geoffrey So, Justin Lee, Nathan McCarnan, Kaz Minemoto, Aidan Sutherland and veteran goalie Alex Forster, among others, with setting the pace for the Pack. He knows, however, that with just 10 games left until the playoffs start, the real tests for the team are just beginning.
“We’ll just hone our game,” Koen said about the plan for the next month leading into the playoffs. “Once we get there we’ll dissect what we think we need to do to give ourselves the best opportunity, but just keep pushing our game with our pace and our speed and try to take advantage of what we have built into our organization.”
The Pack will be back in action tonight in a rematch against the Ice Hawks at the Ladner Leisure Centre. They’ll then play a pair of home games at Harry Jerome Arena this weekend, facing the Mission City Outlaws Friday starting at 8 p.m. and the Abbotsford Pilots Saturday at 7 p.m.
