The Waywayseecappo Wolverines return to home ice on Sunday night against the Swan Valley Stampeders, looking to keep the momentum rolling after picking up a come from behind road win in Portage earlier in the week.
After dropping three straight games, one which included a shootout loss to the Winkler Flyers, Waywayseecappo battled back from down 3-1 to the Portage Terriers in the third period and completed the comeback in overtime.
An early goal from Matt Swanson sparked the club before and Alex Lucken blast would tie the game up at 3-3. In overtime, Tyler Leibl banged home a rebound in front that would lift the Wolverines over the Terriers, 4-3.
In the Wolverines and Stampeders lone game this season, Swan Valley skated to a 4-1 victory on home ice. The Wolverines got to within a goal of the Stampeders in the second to make it 2-1, but after a late goal and an empty-netter, it would be too little too late.
It wasn’t for a lack of opportunity as the Wolverines powerplay struggled that night going 0 for 8.
Stampeders Outlook
After the Stampeders opened the regular season with a split against the Dauphin Kings, the Stamps’ casually rattled off six straight wins.
Things would turn south over the next three games as Swan Valley would drop a back to back against Winkler before falling to OCN on the road.
The Stamps’ are fresh off of a 4-3 shootout win over the Virden Oil Capitals last night. It was a game that they battled back in after entering the third period down, 3-0.
Swan Valley is led offensively by newcomers Tommy Cardinal and Nathan Carl along with returning forward Josh Maucieri. In net, 20-year-old Michael Davis has carried the mail so far for the club and has done a solid job in the crease.
News and Notes
Just two points separate the Wolverines and Stampeders with Waywayseecappo holding that two-point edge despite Swan Valley holding three games in hand.
Entering Sunday night, the Wolverines have powerplay goals in eight straight games to rank fourth in the MJHL with a 20.0% conversion rate on the man-advantage.
Swan Valley’s powerplay unit has been potent throughout the start of this season clipping at 25% to sit second in the league. Their penalty kill has been equally as strong having killed off 85.5% of chances against to also sit second overall.
With the Wolverines sitting as the third-most penalized team in the league, special teams and discipline will play a big factor in Sunday night’s game. Another key to the game for the Waywayseecappo is matching Swan Valley’s physicality which is something that lacked for the Wolverines in their previous loss to the Stampeders.
Wolverines Captain, Nick Doyle continues to hit the score sheet, recording a point in his eighth consecutive game during the win in Portage. Doyle currently sits second in scoring for defensemen, with 13 points in 15 games.
Where to Watch
Watch tonight’s game between the Wolverines and Stampeders live on HockeyTV.com or follow the Wolverines on Twitter @mjhlWolverines for live game updates.