Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
At the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the fifth place (1-5) White Pines Wolverines and the fourth place (2-5) CASS Huskies met on Monday, November 17th in a crucial Sault Ste. Marie High School Hockey League matchup. Both teams were looking to rebound after tough losses the previous day, with White Pines falling 5–1 to the Superior Heights Steelhawks and CASS coming off an 11–0 shutout defeat at the hands of the Korah Colts.
The opening period saw strong defensive play from both sides, as neither team was able to break through in a scoreless first. In the second, CASS finally opened the scoring at 12:37 when Jack McGonegal buried his second of the season, assisted by Logan McAulay, giving the Huskies a 1–0 lead heading into the final frame.
The third period delivered all the intensity fans could ask for. CASS extended their lead at 14:11 on the powerplay when Austin Finlayson notched his fourth of the season. Down 2–0, the Wolverines came storming back shorthanded. At 7:01, Owen Sanderson struck unassisted for his fifth of the year, cutting the deficit to one. Moments later, with White Pines still on the penalty kill, Ethan Marsh tied the game 2–2 at 4:42 with his first goal of the season, assisted by Garrin Pine.
CASS regained the lead at 1:34 when Finlayson scored his second of the night and fifth of the season, with helpers from Noah Smith and Kash Seabrook. But White Pines refused to fold. With just 41 seconds remaining, Sanderson delivered again—his sixth of the season—off a feed from Colin Mann, sending the game to overtime tied 3–3.
In the extra frame, the Wolverines’ momentum carried over. At 2:05 of overtime, Owen Sanderson completed the hat trick, scoring his seventh of the season unassisted to secure a dramatic 4–3 White Pines victory. Goaltenders Ben Potter for White Pines and the Huskies’ netminder Jack Unetic stood tall between the pipes for their respective teams, making key saves throughout the game to keep the score tight in a fast-paced matchup.
“Guys never gave up . They stuck to the plan , got pucks to the net and go to the net hard looking for loose pucks and rebounds. The guys had chances and never gave up knowing it would come if they worked hard they would get rewarded. The guys protected our zone at times. We still have a lot of work to do defensively but overall I feel our d zone wasn’t to bad today. We had good back pressure and protected the house. Guys are starting to understand what playing the right way is. Pucks deep, hard on pucks , finish checks , create turnovers, shoot the puck and compete . We still have to work on our discipline but that will come with understanding being a team first player,” added Wolverine coach Matt Caria.
Be sure to visit the Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo gallery for a full collection of action shots from the CASS Huskies versus White Pines Wolverines high school hockey matchup.
With the win, White Pines climbs closer in the standings, while the Huskies will regroup quickly. CASS returns to action on Wednesday, November 19th at 3:30 p.m. against the Steelhawks, while the Wolverines will take on Superior Heights later that evening with a 9:00 p.m. start.
