Deer Lake -
It didn't take long for Kyle Wharton to impress his new teammates.
Wharton, the talented defenceman signed to an import card last week, scored a pair of goals - including the winner in the shootout - as the Deer Lake Red Wings downed the Clarenville Caribous 4-3 Saturday night in West Coast Senior Hockey League action at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex. The Red Wings, entering the weekend series in the cellar with an 0-5 record, shaded the Caribous 4-2 Friday night for their first win of the season.
Chris Peach, who collected a goal and an assist in the win for the Red Wings, believes his team found a gem in Wharton.
"He's a keeper. He's a guy who is going to help us out on the back-end," Peach told The Western Star Sunday.
"He moves the puck well. He's a pro skater ... you watch him skate he has that pro stride."
Peach was quick to point out the players weren't overly concerned about an 0-5 start because they realized how many players were out of the line-up during the losing streak. He said it was a lot easier to take three of a possible four points when you have four lines rolling and everybody healthy.
"I think once we get a full team together we will be around at the end, hopefully," he said.|
He felt his team did what it had to do to put some points on the board.
"We played a pretty controlled defensive game. We did the things we needed to do to win and good teams do that," he said.
Import goaltender Paul Drew picked up the win in the crease, while Jason Churchill took the loss.
"He's going to be a difference maker too," Peach said of his goaltender. "When you are confident in a guy back there it makes a difference. I mean Wally (Brad Wall) is a good guy too, but Paul has been around a long time and played in a lot of leagues. He's played in the top leagues and I think he's a proven winner."
