Young Wildcats in contention

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This article was published 29/12/2021 (1369 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While Guy Williams knew this year’s Westman Wildcats team was going to be a competitive one, the head coach wasn’t quite sure how things were going to go when the 2021-22 Manitoba Female Hockey League Under-18 AAA season got underway.

Part of that was due to the fact that the roster was a younger one, with the majority of the roster getting their first real taste of life in the league.

“We had a few players that had played a substantial amount at the U18 level, but the rest of the returning players had only played a handful of games last year before everything got shut down,” Williams said. “As a result, they really didn’t have that much of an advantage over those that were coming up from the U15 ranks.

“It was a bit of a learning experience, but I think everyone is in that boat this year. We’re seeing things start to develop here now and those players are starting to do the things that you had envisioned them doing around this time last year. It’s taken a little bit longer (due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2020-21 season), but it’s all coming together now.”

Although the Wildcats headed into the Christmas break on a losing note after dropping a 5-1 contest to the league-leading Yellowhead Chiefs at the Hartney Community Rink, the team is among the top contenders in the eight-team loop.

Their 13-3 mark puts them in third place in the standings and one point back of the 13-2-1 Winnipeg Avros.

They also have two games in hand on the 15-3 Chiefs, who they trail by four points ahead of a rematch in Shoal Lake on Sunday.

“We’re pretty satisfied with where we’re at right now,” Williams said.

“Through the first two months of the seasons, our goaltending was solid and we kept the game simple. The kids that we expected to lead the offensively we’re doing so and we’ve seen a lot of improvement. There are some injuries and illnesses that we’re working through at the moment, but we’re looking forward to getting back here with everyone healthy for the second half.”

The Wildcats’ defensive play has been a major strength through the opening months of the season, as their 30 goals against trails only the Avros.

Boissevain’s Grace Glover has compiled an 8-2 record with an 1.85 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and a shutout, while Payton Murray of Brandon also has a shutout to go with a 5-1 record, 1.87 gaa and a .923 save percentage.

“They’ve both had some little bumps in the road but they’ve played well overall this year,” Williams said. “They compete hard against another in practice and I think that makes for a good competitive balance between the two.

“They both want to play and make the big saves, which is something that we need when things break down. Every team has those challenges and we’re happy to have both Grace and Payton in our net to help us out.”

Grade 12 defenders Makenna Beard of Boissevain and Kelsey Page of Souris are leading the way on the blue-line.

Page is second in team scoring with 11 points in 16 games, while Beard sits fifth with nine points in 14 contests and has committed to the Minot State Beavers for next season.

“They have the experience and the physical maturity that you see in Grade 12 players, which goes a long way in this league,” Williams said.

“They can protect the puck a little better than the younger players and they do a great job of recognizing certain situations. With being an older player, you have an extra bit of confidence to take some chances out there, which can sometimes lead to positive results.”

Although their 51 goals have them ranked fourth in the league, the Wildcats have solid offensive depth.

Sophia Anderson leads the way with 14 points – five goals and nine assists – in 16 games, with Hayley Kolosky and 14-year-old Callie Rice sitting in a tie for third on the team chart with 10 points.

Brooklyn Franklin and Paige Kozak both have eight points thus far, though some might think that Franklin could be competing for the Cy Young Award as she has yet to record an assist.

“We recognized early on that team speed and pace of play was going to be a big strength of ours,” Williams said. “We’ve really tried to work on our attack a lot during practice and making sure that we’re staying fast out there.

“We’ve struggled a little bit with the finishing part of things lately, but that always averages out as the year goes along. The forwards are working hard as a group and they are not only starting to develop confidence, but they are also learning how to be leaders.”

With the Wildcats gaining more experience on a weekly basis, Williams believes the team can challenge the Chiefs and the Avros for the top overall seed in this year’s playoffs.

“They are both mature teams that have that physical size and strength advantage, so they have stood out thus far because of that, especially when compared to the other teams in the league this year who are on the younger side,” he said.

“Once we get everyone back in our lineup, I think we can push into that top two level. There’s a lot of things that we learned from our loss to Yellowhead before Christmas and we’re eager to face them again this weekend.”

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