With the second half of the 2022-23 MJHL season about to begin, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines sit third in the West Division with 39 points, but with a .650 point percentage, which would put them first in the West Division and fourth in the MJHL.
With a much anticipated second half of the season set to start with a back to back with the Swan Valley Stampeders (second in the West Division), we look back at the best moments so far during the Wolverines start of the season.
1. Baptiste’s Four Goals vs. Selkirk
It was a crazy game with the amount of goals that were scored, but for Cason Baptiste, it was even a wilder game for himself. Baptiste scored four goals in an 8-6 win over the Selkirk Steelers, with three of them happening when the team was shorthanded. We don’t know the official MJHL rules, but in NHL history, only one player has scored three shorthanded goals in a game (Russell, MB product Theoren Fleury). It was part of Baptiste’s crazy December which he had 9 goals in six games.
2. Overtime Heroics vs. Portage
In the first half of the season, the Wolverines and Terriers played four memorable games, all for different reasons. But the Wolverines were able to sweep the Terriers on home ice, with a dominating win back in September. But it was the second win in late November that was more memorable. Carson Baptiste scored 2:03 into overtime, with a beautiful move, that gave the Wolverines an OT victory. It was also Baptiste’s second OT winner in as many games (that will be mentioned later on).
3. Grier comes up clutch in Dauphin
The Wolverines have had many wins when having a lead heading into the third period, but comeback victories, not as much for the Wolverines. But a big comeback was the second last game before the break in Dauphin when Nolan Grier tied the game with 1:19 left in the third period. He also ended up finishing the game with a shootout goal along with Sean Williams.
4. Wolverines beat Pistons on home ice
With the Steinbach Pistons having an 12-1 record coming into Waywayseecappo on October 15th, the Wolverines would find out if they could match up with the league’s best team. Well they could, with a 4-1 win over the Pistons. Tresor Wotton stopped 34 shots in the game along with Nolan Grier scoring his first two goals as a Wolverine. Wayway used their special teams to a win with three powerplay goals and five penalty kills. They were also able to nearly stop the top three players on Steinbach, letting up only one goal to Travis Hensrud.
5. Wolverines win Truth and Reconciliation Game
For the second straight year, the Wolverines hosted a game on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, this time hosting the Winkler Flyers. the game ended up being a 3-2 Wolverines win in front of 485 fans for the game and pushed the team to a 2-0 record in games on the day.
6. Boone’s Hat Trick vs. Swan Valley
Last year, the Wolverines didn’t have a hat trick scorer until near the end of the season. Boone Mathison made sure that didn’t happen this year, scoring a hat trick in a 6-4 win over the Swan Valley Stampeders. Nolan Grier also scored two goals in the win.
7. Comeback against Niverville
A day after playing the Niverville Nighthawks for the first time, the Wolverines hosted the Nighthawks. The night before they lost a tight game by a score of 3-2. But looking for some revenge, the Wolverines went down 2-0 early. But started by an Andrew Boucher goal, the Wolverines scored three more in the third to turn the game around and win 4-2 over the new franchise.
8. First Overtime Win
The Wolverines started the season with a mark that they didn’t like on their record. Their first five overtime games, were all losses. It took until November 27th for that to change in a back and forth game against a team with only two wins, the Winnipeg Freeze. The Wolverines blew a two-goal and late lead against the Freeze forcing the game into overtime. At that time, Carson Baptiste won the game at 3:18 into the extra frame to give the Wolverines their first OT win.
9. First win of the season
The Wolverines started with a .500 points percentage after their first three games of the season, but none of them were wins and all were lost games in extra time. Playing in their fourth game, against the 2023 Centennial Cup Hosts, Portage Terriers, it looked like a tough task to get their first win on a September 25th night. But the Wolverines did it, scoring four straight en route to a 5-2 win over the Terriers.
10. Wolverines beat the Blizzard
After a heartbreaking loss earlier in the season to the OCN Blizzard, the Wolverines bounced back with a three goal third period on their way to 4-1 win over their division rivals. Carson Baptiste scored two goals in the game, along with Kurt Rookes and Caden Carlson.
