The John Rhodes Centre played host to a tense, low-scoring matchup on Thursday, November 13th, as the fourth-place White Pines Wolverines (1–3) met the fifth-place CASS Huskies (1–4) in Sault Ste Marie High School Hockey League action. With both teams searching for early-season momentum, it was CASS who ultimately skated away with a dramatic 2–1 overtime victory.
CASS struck first in the opening period when Jack McGonegal buried his first of the season on the powerplay at 7:57, taking advantage of a loose puck to give the Huskies a 1–0 lead. From there, the two teams locked into a defensive battle, with neither squad able to solve the goaltenders in a scoreless second period.
White Pines refused to go quietly. With time winding down in the third and Wolverines goaltender Ben Potter pulled for the extra attacker, Owen Sanderson delivered a clutch equalizer just 42 seconds into the frame. Sanderson’s fourth of the season, assisted by Nolan Wilding and Shamus Cochrane, sent the Wolverines’ bench into celebration and forced overtime.
In the extra frame, the Huskies found the hero they needed. At 4:40 of OT, Noah Smith snapped home his third of the season off a feed from Carter Pritchard, sealing the win for CASS and snapping their early-season skid.
Between the pipes, Jack Unetic stood tall for the Huskies, while Ben Potter turned in a strong effort for White Pines despite the loss.
“Overtime – was quick , they got a good bounce and their guy got to the puck first and made a perfect shot credit to him, our guys need to be more aware of the situation. Bear down on the draw , win the puck race and never turn the puck over on a three on three situation. Positives again, I think the penalty kill was great, two five on threes we killed, a number of five versus fours we killed, we have to play more,” said Wolverine coach Matt Caria.
Huskie coach Spencer Lawrence told Saultsports that “I think tonight’s game really showed what this group is capable of. What stood out to me most was how committed the guys were to playing the right way for a full 3 periods. We battled, we stayed structured, and our compete level never dipped, also staying disciplined and out of the box was huge. Our goalie was outstanding again tonight he was calm, confident, and making the big saves when we needed them. This win is huge for our team’s confidence I believe, to come out on top in a tight, low scoring game like this in overtime, it tells our group that when we stick together work hard and play the whole game we can win.”
“Disciplined and stay out of the box. Also defensively I think we played well , shut down our zone and protected the house. We need to create more offence chances and play more in the oppositions end, said Caria.
Lawrence also added that “what I liked most was the response under pressure, instead of panicking, the players dug in, and made smart decisions, that’s the kind of effort and resilience we can build on moving forward.”
Fans can revisit the action through Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies, featuring a full gallery from the Wolverines versus Huskies matchup.
Both teams return to the ice on Sunday, November 16th at the John Rhodes Centre. CASS will take on the Korah Colts at 6:30 p.m., followed by White Pines facing the Superior Heights Steelhawks at 8:00 p.m.
