Ice Wolves lose tough battle to Mustangs
The La Ronge Ice Wolves closed out their weekend with a tough 4-3 loss Saturday at home to the Melfort Mustangs.
“I thought last night our discipline was really good,” said Ice Wolves Asst. Coach Kyle Schneider. “We have to control our sticks, but that’s stuff we can address and clean up.”
Ethan Strik, Dylan Handel and Walker Jerome scored for the Ice Wolves. Meanwhile, Topher Chirico made his third straight start in the La Ronge net. The Kansas product turned away 21 shots in a losing cause.
Ryan Duguay scored twice for Melfort, while Clarke Huxley and Zac Somers also found the back of the net. Joel Favreau made 31 saves for his 11th win of the campaign.
“That’s playoff hockey,” said Schneider. “I think playoffs started for us two weeks ago. Our guys didn’t quit all night, so you have to give them credit.”
With the loss, the Ice Wolves are now 30-18-5 on the season, which still has them holding down fourth in the SJHL standings. La Ronge will look to rebound next Friday night in Melfort when they meet the Mustangs for the third straight game.
The Ice Wolves only have three games remaining on their regular season schedule before they get set for the 2023 SJHL Playoffs.