Junior Jagar Smith passed the puck to senior Drake Gentile during the Wolves’ overtime period against Stoney Creek last Thursday night.
Gentile caught the pass and hit it into the Cougar’s net to end the game with a 3-2 win.
“It was a good win for us,” said Bryan Krygier, head coach for Clarkston Varsity Hockey. “It was a win we definitely needed. It gave us a little bit of energy and enthusiasm. The guys worked hard for that win last night.
The win put the Wolves up to 6-8 for their overall record and 2-4 in the OAA Red.
“It put us right in the middle of the pack,” Krygier added. “It moved us within reach of Lake Orion, Stoney Creek and Farmington United. It allowed us to play catch up and start going in the right direction.”
Gentile opened the game putting Clarkston in the lead with his goal in the first period.
The Cougars tied it in the second period and Smith brought the Wolves back into the lead into the third period with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
The lead was short as Stoney Creek tied the game again with a minute to go.
Senior Justin Selke made 24 saves on the net.
“We played well defensively and Justin played well in the net for us,” Krygier added. “We have just been working on those little things in practice. It will make a difference over time.”
The Wolves also defeated Farmington United on Jan. 10, 6-2. They took the lead in the first period when they scored five goals with four of them in a span of three minutes.
Senior Danny Grohs led the team with two goals and one assist. Gentile scored one goal and had three assists and Smith scored one goal and had two assists.
“Drake, Jagar, Danny keep scoring goals for us and that’s what they are supposed to be doing for us and they need to continue to do that,” Krygier said.
Selke had 32 saves in the net while the Wolves made 28 shots on Farmington.
The boys head to Onyx Ice Arena this Saturday to play Rochester United for the second time.
The Wolves lost to Rochester the first time they faced them on Jan. 3, 5-0.
“They have a potent team,” said Krygier. “They have a lot of players who can score and open the game on you. So we have to play a more methodical, more disciplined, and more sound game against them. It would help big time if we scored the first goal in the game and put them back on their heels.”
He added the last two wins will help the Wolves with confidence and they have a week to prepare after having a few days off for rest and to get healthy.
The Wolves’ next home game is Jan. 28 when they host Farmington United at 5:30 p.m. Then, they play three games in the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase, which is Feb. 1-8.