The La Ronge Ice Wolves picked up their second straight win Wednesday in Melfort when they dumped the Mustangs 3-1.
“They came out pretty hard in the first, actually. They kind of controlled the pace,” said Ice Wolves Associate Coach Gaelan Patterson. “We got our bus legs out of the way and I think we came back strong. We started moving our feet and playing down low on them, and forcing them to make bad decisions.”
The Mustangs opened the scoring 1:09 into the first when Ryley Lanthier ripped a shot upstairs past Liam McGarva, who made 27 saves for his 13th win of the season.
Following a late hit by Colton Schell on Booker Chacalias 8:26 into the second, the Ice Wolves went to work on a five-minute power play that proved to be very fruitful.
La Ronge tied the game at one 10:57 into the frame when Kyle Ford knifed home his 13th of the season past Tanner Martin, who ended his night with 16 saves. The Ice Wolves went up 2-1 12:19 into the second when Kaiden Collumb stuffed in his third of the season at the side of the net.
At the 10:36 mark of the third, Kyle Schneider and Seth McCulloch dropped their mitts in a spirited bout. Schneider certainly made his impact felt in his return to Northern Lights Palace.
The Ice Wolves added an empty-netter with 23 seconds left in the third when Daylon Mannon tallied his 17th of the season.
With the win, the Ice Wolves improved to 14-12-2 on the season, which has them sitting in seventh place in the very crowded SJHL standings. The Ice Wolves are only three points back of the Melfort Mustangs for second.
La Ronge will look for its third straight win Friday night in Yorkton when they meet the Terriers for the third time this season.
“We got to use our speed, there might be a few new guys coming into the lineup, so it will be interesting to see how they fit,” said Ice Wolves Associate Coach Gaelan Patterson. “We should be strong, we should be tough. They are obviously a good team. They are starting to find their way as well. Chantz Petruic, we just got to shut that guy down.”
You can catch Friday’s battle from Yorkton live on MBC Network Radio with Braden Malsbury. The pre-game show is set to get underway at 7:15 p.m.
The Ice Wolves close out their three-game road trip on Saturday in Melville versus the Melville Millionaires.
(PHOTO: The Ice Wolves celebrating their win. Photo by Braden Malsbury.)