HOCKEY: Whitefish Wolverines heating up the Ice Den
<p>Whitefish Wolverines forward Brett Fernandez of Riverside, California takes the puck out of Butte Cobras territory during their game on Friday, November 27, in Whitefish. (Brenda Ahearn/The Daily Inter Lake)</p>
<p>Whitefish Wolverines forward Greg Houle of Saline, Michigan passes the puck to a teammate as the Wolverines make an attempt at a goal during the game against the Butte Cobras on Friday, November 27, in Whitefish. (Brenda Ahearn/The Daily Inter Lake)</p>
The Whitefish Wolverines have figured something out.
The Western States Hockey League club got off to a terrible start to the season, losing its first 11 games, but is starting to turn things around.
The Wolverines have won their last five home games, including a 9-1 win over Butte on Friday night.
The home win streak began with a 10-4 blowout of division-leading Missoula at the Ice Den, answering a 9-1 loss on the road the night before.
It was an efficient showing from Whitefish, scoring on nearly a third of their 36 shots in the contest, and it marked a breakout run for Kieffer Helbing. The Iowa native had a hat trick and an assist in the win, and helped fill the stat sheet in the next four wins as well, scoring two assists in Whitefish’s second win and four points in their third. He scored four more points on Friday and leads the team with 21 points this season, with seven goals and 14 assists.
Whitefish has picked up its shots on goal, as well, averaging 56 shots the last five games.
The Wolverines have a good chance of keeping the momentum going through the weekend. Butte has allowed a league-high 157 goals this season and Whitefish is lining up another three-game set with the Cobras next weekend in the Mining City.
Whitefish finishes the three-game home set today and tomorrow at the Ice Den. Today’s game drops at 7:05 p.m.and Sunday’s at 1:35 p.m.