麻豆社区

Hoping to add another banner to the rafters in Takhini Arena, the Whitehorse Huskies opened their season against the Bonnyville Senior Pontiacs Saturday night.

In front of a home crowd of 550 鈥� a third of capacity 鈥� the Huskies were quick to match the Pontiacs, after the visiting team was first to get on the board nine minutes and twenty seconds into the first period.

It was the only time the Pontiacs would find the back of the net in the game as the Huskies continued to pepper Pontiacs goalie Tanner Schalin with shots. Eight more found holes, including six power play goals.

The second period was marred with penalties as the Huskies picked up 10 of their 14 in the middle twenty minutes.鈥�

Not to be outshone, the Sr. Pontiacs had 11 of their 16 in the same period.

The majority of those penalties were roughing calls and at one point, three Huskies players were sharing the penalty box.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they were too impressed with the way we were skating,鈥� said Huskies head coach Michael Tuton. 鈥淭hey couldn鈥檛 really skate with us.鈥�

Instead, the players found a different way to vent their frustrations.

鈥淭hey tried to goon it up,鈥� said Tuton. 鈥淏ut I was pretty happy with the way our guys handled themselves.鈥�

In the two teams鈥� first meeting, the Huskies proved they were skating with a purpose.

They were supported by some new players to the line-up, including goalie Jon Olthuis, who started both Saturday and Sunday鈥檚 games.

After limiting the Pontiacs to one goal in the first game, Olthuis was awarded third 麻豆社区of the game, while getting the Huskies鈥� own 鈥淭op Dog鈥� award.

Olthuis was an active hockey player from 2004 to 2013. He began with the Vernon Vipers and played four seasons of NCAA hockey with the University of Alaska Anchorage鈥檚 Seawolves before playing in the Canadian Hockey league, Southern Profesional Hockey League, Australian Hockey league and ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League), which is a tier below the American Hockey League.

Olthuis said that Jared Tuton, who also played for the Seawolves told him the Huskies were looking to add some depth in the net.

鈥淚 seized the opportunity to come and visit a great town and play some hockey again,鈥� said Olthuis.

He was solid in net for the Huskies all weekend.

鈥淭hat was a nice game to ease into,鈥� said Olthuis of Saturday鈥檚 blowout. 鈥淭he 鈥楧鈥� kept everyone outside and I got to see all the shots, the rebounds were cleared, so it made my first game relatively easy and set us up for tonight.鈥�

He spoke to reporters in the dressing room hallway after signing autographs for some enthusiastic young hockey fans.

Sunday evening鈥檚 game featured a new-look Pontiacs.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 play a textbook road game, as they say,鈥� said injured Pontiacs player Shawn鈥圚ebert. 鈥淎fter last night鈥檚 fiasco we didn鈥檛 want to spend a whole bunch of time in the penalty box.鈥�

The team was told to smarten up after Saturday鈥檚 game by head coach Chad Milnthorp who told them to 鈥減ull their heads out of their butts and play some old time hockey.鈥�

His words also included advice to keep it simple, hit the puck deep, get there first and 鈥渨ant it more.鈥�

鈥淭hat 9-1 game kind of stung us last night because we鈥檙e really not used to losing games that badly,鈥� said Hebert.

Milnthorp鈥檚 words appeared to work and the Pontiacs held onto a 4-1 over the Huskies late into the second period.

But Derek Klassen scored two for the Huskies in the fifth and eighth minute to start the team鈥檚 claw-back effort. Burt Stephens added another 11 seconds later to tie it up 4-4.

With 8:47 left in the period, the Pontiacs went up 5-4 with a goal by Denis Cadrin and the teams ended the period tied after Evan Campbell got one of his own less than 20 seconds later.

The third period went mostly scoreless until the Huskies鈥� Ted Stephens got a shot past Tanner Schalin with 4:25 remaining. But the Pontiacs鈥� Allias Kalinsky responded on a power play, getting the puck past Olthuis with 1:48 left in the game.

The game went to overtime, with the Huskies and Pontiacs playing five minutes of four-on-four action. The extra time went scoreless and the game was decided by shootout.

Olthuis had a perfect score, denying all shots by the Pontiacs and Campbell scored the only shot for the Huskies to give them the OT win 7-6.

鈥淵ou just got to take it one shooter at a time,鈥� said Olthuis. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to stay patient, stay big and it worked out.鈥�

Olthuis, who lives in Canmore, Alta., was flown in for the weekend series and will continue to commute for game weekends when possible, as well as the Coy Cup next year, which the Huskies will host.

The Huskies were supposed to play a two-game series against the Whitecourt Wild this weekend, but it has been cancelled. The Wild weren鈥檛 able to assemble enough players to make a roster for the trip.

The next Huskies game is likely to be in December, according to a statement by the team today.

The Huskies are likely to be without captain Evan Campbell, as he receives planned surgery for a shoulder injury. He will still be in the locker room though, said Tuton.

鈥淗e鈥檚 such a great locker room guy. He wears the 鈥楥鈥� for a reason,鈥� said Tuton. 鈥淚njuries suck and surgeries suck, but we鈥檙e going to have to keep moving forward.鈥�

Tuton expects to have more returning players join the line-up in future games.

鈥淲e have one main goal,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 March.鈥�