Lake Country Timberwolves assistant captain Kaden Petit celebrates a goal. (Photo courtesy: Barry Otterson)

By paNOW Staff

Alpha pack

Timberwolves recharging for second half of season

Dec 18, 2023 | 4:34 PM

The Lake Country Co-op Timberwolves hockey team members are asserting themselves as alpha predators working their way up division standings.

Head Coach Derek Simonson said his U18 ‘AA’ squad finished the first half of the season with a record of 15-3, which puts them third in the North division. That’s only a few points out of first place with a few games in hand on the team above them.

“We just came off a very busy stretch with five games on the road and our last three games at home before Christmas and were able to string together nine consecutive wins which is a feather in the cap of our players and staff. There are no easy games in this league and the boys need to show up every night to play hard and fight for those points.”

From left: Timberwolves assistant coach Dillon Zuck, head coach Derek Simonson and assistant coach Travis Willie. (Photo courtesy: Barry Otterson)

Assistant captain and forward Kaden Petit said the one thing that has been consistent is the team’s work ethic and compete level.

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“We’ve all bought into the coach’s system and play as a team and just try to be the hardest working team every night. Personally, I have really found my game and my role on the team this year,” Petit said. “The team has exceeded expectations and we are playing great.”

With a focus on defensive systems, the Timberwolves have managed to drop their goals against average from 6.5 in October down to 3.2.

“Our goaltending has been exceptional, and our defence and forwards have made a commitment to our defensive systems and that’s put us near the top in the league with our overall goals against,” Simonson said. “We have also spent some time on our special teams which have improved greatly compared to our first eight games. Our players continue to improve and have made the coaching piece a little less stressful at times.”

The team is looking to recharge and get healthy for the remainder of the season. They haven’t had a full line-up since early November.

“The foundation of any team is the commitment to showing up every night with the willingness to compete, sacrifice and play hard for the guy next to them. Those are habit forming behaviours that will not only carry them through sports but other facets of their life,” Simonson said.

Simonson expects games in the new year and down the stretch to become more challenging as teams will be fighting to move up in the standings for playoff spots.

The Timberwolves’ next game is on the road Jan. 7 when they head to Martensville to take on the Marauders.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

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