T-wolves claim first back-to-back wins

The Williams Lake Timberwolves appear to be turning the corner since rejoining the British Columbia Hockey League this season, picking up back-to-back wins over the weekend at home against the Trail Smoke Eaters and the Quesnel Millionaires.

Williams Lake also tallied its highest goal totals to date, potting six against Trail and seven against Quesnel.

“We’re turning it around a bit here,” says Dave Dupas, head coach of the Timberwolves. “The guys are getting used to the pace, the intensity and they’re coming to work every night. They’re staying more disciplined — all those things you need to do.”

Saturday versus the Mills, the T-wolves wasted no time finding the back of the net, as Justin Bardarson beat Quesnel goaltender Luke Siemens with a low wrister to set the tone just 11 seconds in.

Darick Ste-Marie tied the game at one for the Mills with five minutes remaining in the first; however, the T-wolves opened the floodgates in the second, carrying a 4-2 lead into the third.

The T-wolves continued to spread around the scoring as seven different players scored in the game.

Adding notches in the second for Williams Lake were Brendan Nadonly, Anthony DeLong and Trent Murdoch.

In the third it was much of the same as the Timberwolves lit the lamp for three more goals with Justin Hogan, Kyle Beaulieu and Danny Merth adding markers. T-wolves netminder Sean Donnelly stopped 34 of 37 shots in the 7-3 win, putting the Timberwolves within striking distance of climbing the ladder in the BCHL Interior Conference.

In seven games, Donnelly — who arrived from the Richmond Sockeyes of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League — has posted a 3-2-1 record with a 3.74 goals against average and a 90.23 save percentage.

“Sean has been absolutely amazing for us,” Dupas says. “He gives the guys confidence.

“The turning point in that game against Quesnel, a 3-2 game, is when they go down on a breakaway and he stops them. We turn right around and go down on a breakaway and score, and instead of a 3-3 game we’re up 4-2.”

Friday, Ryan Stanimir tallied two goals and two assists, and linemate Kyle Leung added a goal and an assist, as the Timberwolves downed the Trail Smoke Eaters 6-1.

Also scoring for the T-wolves Friday were Jason Diehl, Hogan and Nadolny.

Dupas says the line of Stanimir, Leung and DeLong has been outstanding since being put together four games ago, as the T-wolves are 3-1-1 in their last five outings.

“They’ve been clicking,” he says. “They started scoring right off the hop. It was instant chemistry . . . they’ve been playing really well defensively, and it’s been a good line since we put them together.”

Currently sitting in ninth place, Williams Lake has played three less games than the Millionaires and the Merritt Centennials, and five games less than the Trail Smoke Eaters — with the Mills and the Centennials just two points up in the conference, and the Smoke Eaters three points up on the T-wolves.

The T-wolves are now preparing to play six games in eight days beginning with the Millionaires this Friday in Quesnel.

On Saturday, Williams Lake heads to Prince George to take on the Spruce Kings before retuning home Sunday to face the second-place Vernon Vipers.

Dupas notes it’s going to have to be a complete team effort over the busy eight days.

“We haven’t run into a situation where we’re playing six in eight yet,” he says. “What we have to do is utilize our four lines as much as we can. We can’t have two lines playing a huge amount of minutes for six games.

“It’s going to be a whole team game, a whole team week.”

Game time Sunday is 4 p.m. against the Vipers in Williams Lake.

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