The U13 Niagara-on-the-Lake Wolves rep team wrapped up their season Tuesday night, finishing as runner-up in the Niagara District Hockey League championship playoffs.

In a best-of-three series versus the Haldimand River Kings, the Wolves lost two extremely close games, 2-1 Monday in Cayuga and 3-1 at home on Tuesday.

“Despite the disappointing finish, it was a memorable and rewarding season,” NOTL head coach Gary Friesen told The Lake Report.

The team finished the regular season with a record of 10-10, placing sixth out of 10 teams.

One of the year’s highlights was handing the Thorold Blackhawks their only regular-season loss, Friesen said.

“Thorold finished with an impressive 19-1 record, making our victory against them a memorable achievement.”

For the Niagara District playoffs, the top four teams competed to qualify for the Ontario Minor Hockey Association’s tier 1 championship tournament, while the bottom six teams, including NOTL, faced off in the Tier 2 category.

The top two teams from that round-robin — NOTL and Haldimand — advanced to this week’s best-of-three series.

It would determine who represents the Niagara district in the OMHA tier 2 championship tournament March 28 to 30 in Halton Hills.

Friesen noted that NOTL’s opponents in the round-robin included the Garden City Falcons, Port Colborne Sailors, West Niagara Flying Aces, Welland Tigers and Haldimand.

Strong playoff performances by NOTL and Haldimand in that round-robin set the stage for this week’s pivotal series.

“In Game 1, played in Cayuga on Monday, we battled hard in a closely contested match,” Friesen said.

“The game remained tied for most of the night until we surrendered a late goal with just 30 seconds remaining. It was a heartbreaking finish, as everyone in the arena believed we were poised for a draw.”

Game 2 was the next night in Virgil, with NOTL facing possible elimination.

“The boys gave their best effort, but we ultimately fell short against a big, strong Haldimand team,” Friesen said.

“After a slow start, we gained momentum and closed the gap to 2-1 late in the game before giving up an empty-net goal.”

The team’s offence this season was led by standout performances from August Felice and Ben Bayne,  while Nello Pagnotta anchored the defence, Friesen said.

“In my opinion, we also had the league’s top goaltender in Mason Nichols, whose outstanding play kept us competitive throughout the season.”