Wolverines tally two wins over weekend

Sitting at top of standings

The West Elk Wolverines hit their stride this past weekend with a couple of solid wins against the Boulder Bison, pushing the Wolverines into first place in the standings with a record of 5-0-1.
As has been the case most of the season, the team knew little to nothing of the Boulder squad, forcing coach Joe Otsuka to head into the weekend with a couple of game plans in place and then executing the best one once he got a sense for their opponent.
“It was tough because I didn’t know what the Boulder team looked like and it’s a tough way to head into a game, with several different strategies,” says Otsuka.
 It was a dubious start to the doubleheader on Saturday as the Wolverines fell behind 2-0 in the first period, but as Otsuka has pointed out from day one, there’s plenty of time in a hockey game.
“They know they’re not going to lose a game in the first period,” says Otsuka. “I think the first period was a bit of nerves and excitement because this was their first home game of the season.”
The Wolverines settled into their roles on the ice and things proceeded smoothly as they continued to outshoot and outplay Boulder. They finally broke the seal on the Bison net 11 minutes into the second period when Colby Archuleta scored off an assist by Nicholas Koch. Two minutes later the Wolverines struck again when Isaac Evans scored and the two teams entered the third period notched in a 2-2 tie.
The Wolverines looked to seize on their advantage of having a deep bench but suffered a blow, losing Patrick Seifert to injury and leaving Otsuka to adjust the lines for the final period. The two teams proceeded to trade blows throughout the final 15 minutes, scoring a total of six goals.
The Wolverines capitalized on an early powerplay to take a 3-2 lead in the first minute. Boulder responded, scoring the next two goals in a matter of one minute to retake the lead but the Wolverines’ numbers and fitness proved the difference, as Jordi Nichols scored to tie the game and Brady Wilson netted two more to seal the 6-4 Wolverines win.
“We were just able to pour it on,” says Otsuka. “From the opening buzzer to the closing buzzer was the most mature and patient game I’ve seen these kids play. Everyone knew their roles and we had a common goal and everyone was marching in the same rhythm to get there. We really prevailed on a team level.”
The Wolverines carried the momentum from the first win into their second game of the day against Boulder. With a deep bench and weeks of fitness and conditioning, the team was confident they could hand it to Boulder once again.
“I think our strength and cardio is the best of any team in the league and I knew we would be okay in the second game,” says Otsuka. “We just rode the momentum.”
The Wolverines took early control of the game, scoring two minutes in when Archuleta tipped a shot by Jacob Wallin top shelf. The Wolverines continued to pepper the Boulder net and when Sam Reaman wheeled around in the high slot to pick the low corner, the Wolverines were up 2-0 and in control.
Boulder answered midway through the second period to cut into the Wolverines’ lead but Wilson tacked on another goal for the weekend to put the Wolverines up 3-1.
The Bison came right back in the waning minutes of the second period to close to within one again, but when the Wolverines killed back-to-back penalties to open the third period, they shifted into overdrive to rattle off two more goals, with Reaman and Wilson finding the back of the net, securing the 5-2 Wolverines win.
The Wolverines remain at home for their next league games against Glenwood Springs. They will host their first game in Big Mine Ice Arena on Saturday, February 7 at 8 p.m. and then head to Gunnison for the second game against Glenwood Springs on Sunday, February 8 at 11 a.m.
Otsuka expects to see a similar foe in Glenwood Springs and will spend the time leading up fine-tuning certain aspects and keeping the team focused.
“Most of the systems and the way we play are in place. We’ll just add a few wrinkles,” explains Otsuka. “I just want to make sure they bring the same mental and physical energy into each game and keep an even keel the rest of the season until we head into the playoffs.”