Wolverines working for wins

Ferocious, tenacious and stronger than their size would have you believe.

The Whitefish Wolverines are certainly living up to their namesake as they get prepared to hit the ice for the second half of their inaugural season.

The first year junior hockey team is rounding into form as it starts the final 15-game stretch of the regular season this weekend at Missoula. The Wolverines (12-18-1) have won six of their last eight games and are on the brink of hosting playoff hockey in Whitefish.

Their recent hot streak was only accentuated before the holiday break as the team went 3-1 in four games at the Western States Hockey League showcase in Las Vegas, standing toe-to-toe with some of the best junior teams in their league and more than holding their own.

“We showed the other teams in the league that we were a thirstier team by going in there, as a first year team, and finishing 3-1,” Whitefish coach Joakim Falt said.

The tournament, which hosts each of the 28 teams in the WSHL, was telling of the fight in the program.

The Wolverines are a relatively young team, with only 10 players that are 19- or 20-years old on the 21-member squad. Some of the older programs, like first-place Idaho with 16 senior players, have had more early success while able to lean on bigger, stronger players.

Even with its age and size disadvantage, the Wolverines have shown no quit, playing tough against the league’s top three teams this season. The trip to Las Vegas showed the Whitefish players both what there is to aspire to as a program, and the level of play that is needed every night to succeed at that level.

“Hopefully for our kids they can see there’s daylight,” Falk said. “You can’t go in and think that I’m going to do a (poor) job and think you’re going to compete against those teams because they will eat you up alive.”

Instead, it was the Wolverines used the platform as a springboard into the winter break, capping the tournament with a 5-2 win over the Cheyenne Stampede, a team that entered the contest on a 10-game winning streak.

“It was the last game before Christmas,” Falk said.

“It’s very easy for kids to start thinking about mom and dad and home. They went out there and just played it out. The boys were very focused and we beat them 5-2 with a couple of post and crossbar shots.

“It was a great ending of that tournament.”

The result was more than just a boost of confidence. The Wolverines sit just three points ahead of Butte in the standings, needing to hold on to their position in fourth place to host a playoff game.

Another small, first-year club, Butte has quickly become a rival for the Wolverines. Of the seven games the two teams have played each other, six have been decided by two goals or less.

“I like to play them because it’s a good game,” Falt said.  

“It goes back and forth. It comes down to who makes a mistake in the third period usually loses the game. It’s a great rivalry. Two first-year teams going at it.”

They will play each other two more times this season, the first occasion on Saturday in Butte. Those games, along with a three-game home stand against last-place Lake Tahoe, will go a long way in determining if the Wolverines will be playing home games in March.

Whitefish would like to build a cushion through that stretch as it still has 10 games against league leaders Idaho, Southern Oregon and Missoula, the last seven on the road.

“That’s five games we have to win,” Falk said. “Whoever’s ready is ready.”

Back from visiting their families, the players got back to work on Monday. There’s plenty of confidence in the clubhouse entering this final stretch, and it’s easy to see why.

While they may look like underdogs, the Wolverines have shown they have plenty of bite.