The North Star Wolves girls and boys hockey team both bowed out of the WECSSAA “AA” playoffs last week.
The most recent of the two games was the girls matchup last Thursday afternoon at the Libro Centre where the Wolves faced off against the visiting Essex Red Raiders in semi-final action. It was a thrilling, low scoring game with Essex coming out on top 2-1 in quadruple overtime.
Periods are 12 minutes for the first two periods, 15 minutes for the third period and five minutes for every overtime period.
Hailey McMullen’s game-winning goal came 1:05 into the fourth overtime after the two teams ended regulation time tied at one. Grace Broughton scored late in the second period for the Red Raiders but Lorelei Gatti tied it for the Wolves 40 seconds later.
Goalie Carsyn Atkinson, one of the team’s four senior players, said they made it past the first round of the playoffs in her four years with the program. She said she was proud of this year’s team, stating they worked hard and did everything they could.
Fellow senior Danica Barron said there were a lot of younger players on this year’s Wolves team and she enjoyed watching them play well as the season progressed.
“They played epic, let’s just say,” she said.
Skylar Dion said it was a great season and gave credit to the coaches and the teacher sponsors for their help throughout the 2024-25 WECSSAA girls hockey season.
Rylee Varney, another of the four seniors, said there was a lot of anxiety heading into last Thursday’s semi-final game. She said she enjoyed her years with the girls hockey program.
North Star head coach Dan Pettypiece said it was hard to end the season in that fashion. He said he has been on the other side of those types of games, recalling a win in five overtimes and another in seven overtimes but said it was the first time losing in a lengthy overtime battle.
“It’s tough,” he said after the game. “You hurt for the players. They left everything on the ice.”
Pettypiece said the coaching staff, which includes Bill Atkinson and Carly LeBlanc and teacher sponsors Stephanie Mongeau and Courtney Bastien, were pleased with how the players performed both in the semi-final game and throughout the course of the season.
“I can’t be more proud of this team,” said Pettypiece. “What makes (the loss) even worse is these are really good kids. These kids put the team first.”
Many of the players are eligible to return next season and Pettypiece hopes they learn from this experience and get even better next year. He said it was a tough lesson this year but he will remember this year fondly anyway.
“We’re proud of the kids. It’s pretty emotional right now.”
The season also ended for the boys team last Monday. The Wolves finished the regular season with a 2-6-0 record in the “AA” Cullen Conference, good for an eighth place finish.
The young boys team were matched up against the first place Belle River Nobles (5-2-2) at the Atlas Tube Centre.
The season ended for the Amherstburg-based school after suffering a 6-0 defeat in the WECSSAA “AA” quarterfinals.
The North Star boys did have one playoff win under their belts this season, having defeated Lajeunesse 4-1 Feb. 10 at the Libro Centre.
Hockey season over at North Star High School
By Ron Giofu
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