The Vancouver Whalers have shown what it takes to stay strong through the regular season and make the playoffs; a never quit attitude. The Whalers have shown themselves to be one of the most resilient teams in the league. Take the team’s 4-0 loss to the Prince George Firebirds. While many might have been shaken by a resounding shutout, the Whalers got back on the ice the next day and skated hard, practicing board battle drills, and responded with two dominant shutout performances against the Raiders and the Scarecrows. More recently, the Whalers have been flying high, on a five game win-streak after three single point losses. When asked what has helped them respond so well throughout the season, rookie right winger Inari Twain told us, “We have a great team here, we believe in each other, and most importantly our coaches. We practice, we adjust, and we learn every day. We all want to win, play the game to the best of our ability, and part of that is simply showing up and listening.”
The Whalers also have been tweaking their lines, shuffling their third and fourth line to great affect. When asked about this, Twain added, “It’s great, sure it’s great to ‘move up’ the lineup, but we don’t look at it like that. We go out there and play the way we can win. Coach wanted to create more playmaking on the lines and I think I bring that to my teammates. In the end, it’s still about how we all win. I’ll sit on the bench and sing Journey if that will help us win games.”
Resiliance, and a don’t stop believing attitude, the Vancouver Whalers are facing the rest of the regular season with open arms.