Saskatoon Wild - A Story in the Making

[Ozzy Batty 293]

Saskatoon Wild - A Story in the Making

 

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A city of just over 250,000 people along the South Saskatchewan River. The city that loves its hockey and can not wait to see the puck drop on the start of a new season for their home team, the Saskatoon Wild. The crowd was there, the team was dressed and there it was, the first puck drop of the new season. The Wild were hosting the Mississauga Hounds in their season opener. At the end, the difference between the two sides was apparent as the Wild lost 0-2. Wild goalie, Joseph Reed, could not be faulted as he stopped 33 shots out of 35. But the skaters just could not find the net on the other end of the ice. The crowd went home disappointed, but even in the defeat, there was a positive buzz surrounding the team.

The Wild have a young team. They did not have the chance to meet until after the draft. None of them had been on the ice together. So while trying to improve throughout the season they will also be working to come together as a team. There have not been any noted team leaders in this young season, but it is still early and hopes are high that the team will not only gel, but will be able to transfer that to gametime situations.

The second game of the season saw The Wild travel to Ottawa for their first meeting of the season against the hometown Lynx. This contest found the Wild on top at the end of the game. The final score was 1-2 with the Wild getting goals from Thijs Mooij and Darko Alexander Malkovich. While the team was disappointed to have given up the second period goal to the Lynx's Lucky Mitts to tie the game, the winning goal by Darko sealed the victory.

Saskatoon then traveled to Halifax to take on the 21st. Where the Wild were exposed in a 1-4 loss. The only Wild goal came courtesy of Tord Yvel. The Wild seemed to be confused by the tactics of the 21st and never seemed to be playing on their level. 

 

The final game of the week saw Saskatoon on the road once again as they traveled south of the border to take on the Las Vegas Aces. The Wild had traveled 4,351 km to get to Halifax with the stop in Ottawa. They then had to go another 5,384, literally from one side of North America to the other so they could get to Vegas. The Wild did not seem to show any jet-lag as they were competitive in the game but came out on the wrong side of the final score of 2-3. Montgomery Burns of the Wild scored their 2 goals in a nice display of puck movement. 

At the end of the week, Saskatoon find themselves at the bottom of the conference with a record of 1-3-0. The goal difference of -5 is something to keep an eye on as the teams improve. 

Word count: 502
Claimed: Week ending: 9 Apr