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Hoping to build some confidence and momentum after a 1-5 start to the team’s inaugural season, the Squamish Wolf Pack is coming to town tomorrow night (Oct. 3) for a first match-up against conference rivals from North Delta.
The Pack is coming off a 5-1 loss to the Richmond Sockeyes last Saturday (Sept. 27), after the new team’s players succumbed to frustration that they weren’t able to put the puck into the net against one of the best defensive teams in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League. While the result improved on a 9-1 Pack loss to the Sockeyes on Sept. 18, Wolf Pack head coach Matt Samson said he was disappointed that his players had “not a lot of life in our legs” during the third period.
“I think the guys were frustrated that they weren’t generating a lot of chances,” Samson said. He complimented the play of Wolf Pack netminder Graham Hallenbeck, who stood tall as Richmond outshot Squamish 60 to 16.
One of the main elements his young team needs to work on this point is maintaining confidence when the it doesn’t score the first goal, he said, since the players have more than enough talent — they just need to stop feeling deflated after getting down a goal or two.
“We’ve got to keep the morale up,” Samson said.
The schedule hasn’t been kind to the Wolf Pack yet, as right off the bat the team has played two games apiece against Tom Shaw Conference-leading Richmond and the Grandview Steelers, two of the best teams in the league, Samson said.
Against Grandview, the Wolf Pack lost 7-0 in the team’s second regular-season game, and went down 6-2 on Sept. 21, one day after notching the Pack’s first-ever win against the Abbotsford Pilots.
The Wolf Pack players have the skill, according to their coach.
“We just need to get on a roll,” Samson said, which will help the team build confidence and gel as a unit. He said he hopes his players will rise to the occasion at the Meadow Park Sports Centre arena on Friday night, trying to get something going against the only conference rival they haven’t yet played.
“We came out flat last game… we’ve got to show up on Friday,” Samson said.
Three Whistler Minor Hockey Association products are scheduled to be in the Wolf Pack lineup for what they hope will be an energetic homecoming. Whistler’s Brandon Combs and Pemberton’s Joshua Schaubroeck have been making an impact with the team already in this young season, and Samson said Jesse Clemiss should make his Pack debut.
While Schaubroeck was hurt and didn’t play Saturday, Samson said he’s “a good energy guy” with good skating skills, and he’s been keeping coaches happy with his performance thus far. Schaubroeck has one assist and no penalties in three games played.
Mononucleosis sidelined Clemiss during the Wolf Pack training camp, but he’s been training with the team for about three weeks and should be ready to hit the ice Friday, Samson said. Clemiss is “another guy who’s got some talent” and has played with some good spring teams, the coach said.
Combs is coming along well in his five games played, Samson said, though he’s adjusting to the league’s level of play and conditioning.
“He’s been doing pretty well for us,” Samson said, adding that Combs knows he needs to work on his conditioning. The coach said that’s going to be a focus for all of the members of the Pack, as the whole team is struggling in third periods.
Samson also said he hopes to work on improving the special teams’ play, and getting better with the little things such as gaining confidence with the puck during the fast-paced play in the league.
Friday’s opponent, the North Delta Devils, is a good team with a good coach, Samson said, though he hasn’t seen them play yet. The Devils lost twice to Richmond but beat Grandview.
The puck drops in Meadow Park at 7 p.m. The Whistler game kicks off a busy week for the Pack, as the team is scheduled to play the next night at Brennan Park Arena in Squamish and Tuesday (Oct. 7) in Ladner.
