The U9 Niagara-on-the-Lake Wolves knew moving from half-ice to full-ice would be no small feat.
And they got a sense of just how challenging it could be after a hard-fought loss in their annual Winter Classic tournament in NOTL last weekend.
The U9 MD (minor development) and U9 local league team competed on Jan. 17 and 18.
U9 MD
On Friday at 8 a.m. at U9 local league’s first game, the Wolves came out strong with three goals in the first period and added another three in the second.
Glancaster couldn’t get anything on the board, remaining scoreless through all three periods.
The Wolves sealed the win with one more goal in the third, finishing with a 7-0 victory.
Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in their second game, Stouffville took control early with three goals in the first period and held off any response from the Wolves, who struggled to get on the scoreboard.
Both teams remained scoreless in the second and third periods and Stouffville secured a 3-0 win.
Their final game Saturday at 6 p.m. saw Norwood dominating early, leading 4-0 after the first period and adding three more in the second.
The Wolves fought back with three goals in the second period but couldn’t capitalize in the third.
Norwood held its ground, finishing with a 7-3 victory.
“It was an exciting and tense game for U9 levels,” said Jennifer Olsen, mom of Cedric Olsen, #89.
To keep Cedric’s spirits up after the loss, Olsen told him: “You played your best in terms of playing your position. We’re all learning. Especially in full ice,” she said.
Mike Cwiertniewski, who has coached the Wolves “from when they were little tykes moving up,” praised his team’s resilience, despite falling behind early.
“Our team battles back and they play right to the end every single game, no matter what the score is,” he said.
After the game, despite disappointment, the team quickly bounced back, said Cwiertniewski, who has been playing since he was a kid — and whose son Auston Cwiertniewski (#34) plays on the team.
Next up for the U9 MD Wolves is a tournament next weekend in Bradford.
U9 LL
At the U9 local league’s first game at 8 a.m. on Friday, Pelham came out strong with two goals in the first period and added one more in the second.
The Wolves responded with a single goal in the first but couldn’t manage to score again in the final two periods.
Pelham sealed the win with two more goals in the third, finishing with a 5-1 victory.
The Twin Centre Stars dominated from the start of Friday’s 4 p.m. game, scoring five goals in the first period and adding two more in the second.
The Wolves struggled to find their rhythm, remaining scoreless throughout the game.
The Twin Centre Stars finished strong with three goals in the third, securing a decisive 10-0 win.
On Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in their final game, Woolwich #1 secured a 9-0 victory over the Niagara-on-the-Lake team.
They scored three goals in the first period, followed by two in the second and finished strongly with four goals in the third.
Meanwhile, the Wolves were held scoreless throughout the game.
In his first year as a coach, Jesse Willms was optimistic about the loss. “Everyone’s putting in a lot of effort,” he said. “It’s awesome to see.”
Woolwich #1 coach Tyler Bradley also recognized the resilience of the Wolves.
“The other team played well, too. There were a couple breakthroughs that were hard to deal with for them,” he said. “But it’s a learning curve.”
“Overall, they’ve got a lot of promise,” said referee Martin MacIntyre.