ELY— The lack of offense has plagued the Timberwolves for the past several weeks and fans saw more of the same here on Saturday as Ely wrapped up its regular season with a 3-0 loss to North Shore in a game marred by ten Ely penalties, including eight in the second period alone.
It was as if the frustrations of a disappointing season came to a head on Saturday for the Timberwolves after North Shore grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period.
The refs sent Evan Leeson to the box just half a minute into the second period and the Storm took advantage, making it 3-0 just 30 seconds later.
Two penalties later, at the nine minute mark, the dam burst. Refs sent North Shore’s Cam Peterson to the box at the 9:02 mark, and thirty seconds later, Ely’s Brady Eaton was called on a five-minute major for checking from behind. Ben Leeson, at goalie, was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct charge less than a minute later, followed by three more penalties over the next minute. That culminated in a brawl that sent five players, two from North Shore and three from Ely, to time-out at the 15:45 mark.
It was a quieter third period, with just two penalties and no scoring, but that did nothing to help Ely’s cause. The loss dropped the Wolves regular season record to 5-17, a disappointment after the Wolves won three of their first seven games. But it’s been a dry spell ever since as the Wolves managed just two wins in the final 15 games of the season.
Playing in Moose Lake last Friday, Ely’s Rhett Johnson lit the lamp twice but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels took it 3-2.
Johnson hit the mark, with an assist from Jace Huntbatch, just over three and a half minutes into the first period to give Ely a temporary lead. Moose Lake came back at the 10:47 mark to tie the score. Halfway through the second, Johnson (assist from Owen Marolt) drilled the net once again, to put Ely back on top. But the Rebels put the final two points on the board late in the second and third periods to notch the win.
Brady Eaton was nabbed for three penalties in the contest, including twice for unsportsmanlike conduct and once for roughing. Jayden Zemke spent two minutes in the box for cross-checking.
The Wolves are expected to take part in the first round of the Section 7A playoffs on Saturday. Their opponent and game location were not available as of the Timberjay’s Wednesday press time.