By TERRY PUGH
The Warman U15AA Wildcats played solid hockey in two home games last weekend; earning a lopsided win against the North East Wolfpack but falling just shy in a match-up against the Saskatoon Outlaws.
Wildcats forward Kobe Pellack led the way with four goals and three assists in a 10-2 victory over the Wolfpack on Saturday, October 12. Other goal-scorers incldued Maclain Ethier (2), Kai Steel (2), Jesse Scriven and Camryn Aebig.
Warman goaltender Ty Keyowski faced 27 shots, while Wolfpack netminder Avery Brunen (who hails from Warman) faced 52 shots.
The Wildcats spotted the Wolfpack the opening goal by Alex Kowalyk late in the first period, but tied things up less than a minute later on Pellack’s first marker of the game. The teams went into the first intermission tied 1-1.
But it was all Warman in the second period. The Wildcats scored six unanswered goals.
They carried that momentum into the third frame, adding two more goals before the Wolfpack finally got back on the board with a shorthanded marker. The Wildcats added one more before the final buzzer to make it 10-2.
If the Wildcats thought all the games would be that easy, they were brought back to earth quickly by the Saskatoon Outlaws on Sunday, October 13.
Despite outshooting the talented Outlaws 42-25, the Wildcats were edged 6-5, thanks in large part to the efforts of Outlaws goalie William Shaw.
Once again, the Wildcats gave up the opening goal of the game when the Outlaws Dax McDougall got one past Warman goalie Kason Peters. Jack Frisky added to the Outlaws lead a minute later. For the rest of the game, Warman was constantly playing catch-up.
Warman’s Cullen Stephenson scored a shorthanded goal in the late stages of the opening period, and Beau Anholt added another midway through the second frame to tie things up. But two more quick Outlaws goals gave the visitors a 4-2 lead heading into the second intermission.
The Outlaws added another goal early in the third, but Warman’s Logan Olsen scored to make it 5-3.
A power play goal by the Outlaws made it 6-3, but the Wildcats’ Stephenson scored his second of the game to narrow the gap to 6-4.
Warman pulled their goalie in the last two minutes and were rewarded when Walker Bergen fired a blast that found its mark with 33 seconds left in regulation.
But it was too little, too late; and the Wildcats were unable to even things up before the final buzzer.
The team hits the road next week for a matchup with the Humboldt Broncos on Sunday, October 20. Their next home game is November 2 when they host the Sask East Oilers.