Waywayseecappo looking for more playoff action

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This article was published 19/09/2019 (2216 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Waywayseecappo Wolverines certainly turned some heads early last season as they made a turnaround bigger than anyone else in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The Wolverines finished last in 2017-18, but came out of the gate firing with a stunning road victory over the defending champion Steinbach Pistons en route to a five-game winning streak, and matched their previous season’s total of 20 points before November.

They stumbled at times, but kept it together and reached the top eight for the first time since the 2014-15 season before being swept by the eventual champion Portage Terriers in the quarterfinals.

Now Waywayseecappo is confident it can improve on its 28-27-2-3 record as it gets its season underway with the first game of a home-and-home set against Neepawa on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“The biggest thing is we went through adversity last year and we were able to overcome it,” head coach Taylor Harnett said on Tuesday.

“Just the fact that we were able to get into some meaningful playoff games was a huge bonus for the organization. We had a quick and tough first round against Portage, and I know at the time it was really tough to take for the players and everybody involved in our end because it didn’t last too long, but with a good corps of returning guys, we talked about learning from that experience and building on it.

“We set the bar and know what we want to do, and that’s to play meaningful games in March.”

It’s safe to say that goaltender Isaac Labelle played a large role in keeping the Wolverines on the ice after the 60-game regular season. As a 20-year-old, he led all netminders in games played with 49, recording 24 wins. Labelle finished seventh in the league with a 2.55 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.

The Wolverines were fourth in the MJHL with 177 goals allowed, but Labelle graduated from junior hockey and backup Nathan Reay opted to stay home for school in Alberta.

Now it’s up to a new tandem of Halifax native Thomson Phinney and Yellowknife product Liam Tereposky to protect the Wayway net.

Phinney spent half of last season with the Blind River Beavers in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, and the back half with the Central Canada Hockey League’s Kemptville 73’s. In 10 games with Kemptville, he had a 3.63 gaa and .905 save percentage.

“He’s a big, solid, smart goaltender. A very cerebral type player,” Harnett said, adding Tereposky, 16, is a young one the team felt it had to take a chance on now.

“We felt he’s ready to play the role he’s going to be given. Looking down the road, he’s a player that if we didn’t latch onto right now, we might not get him.”

Overall, Wayway’s success came from the back last season, and that includes a veteran defensive group that stays relatively intact.

Nick Doyle returns and will be the team’s captain this campaign, with Jack Kennedy, Alex Lucken and Jack Tonnies also on the blue-line. The club picked up former Olds (Alta.) Grizzlys’ captain Matt Kasowski in the off-season, and Harnett has big expectations for the unit now.

Doyle and Kasowski bring a winning pedigree to the club as Doyle captured the MJHL title with Portage two seasons ago and Kasowski has an Alberta Junior Hockey League title to his name with Spruce Grove in 2017-18.

“We’re expecting big leadership from all five of them, to mould the three younger defencemen we have making the jump. We’re expecting a lot from them,” Harnett said.

“We definitely want to have a great defensive philosophy. Most coaches will tell you great defence leads to offence. We prided ourselves on playing really well away from the puck last year, and that’s not going to change at all. Having veteran defencemen too, you expect them to be better.”

The question marks for Wayway come up front, where Harnett is looking to Brandonite Jaymes Knee and Albertan trio Conrad Phillips, Garrick Ripley and Noah Westgate to provide a spark.

Harnett likes the speed he has seen from the group during the pre-season, and is looking forward to watching everything unfold.

“Bringing in a few key guys in the off-season, and our younger guys that have now stepped into that veteran role … we’ve filled some of those holes really well and it’s just a matter of seeing how they do,” Harnett said, adding he expects a lot of parity in the league this year.

“(Other teams are) not only different personnel-wise, but off the ice as well. I think the league is going to be more competitive this year, and we’re happy that we got some returning guys and some good veterans we brought in.

“In junior hockey, no win should be easy, not at this level anyway.”

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