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FOR NEW captain chris terry, experience KEY
Several factors came into play when Wolves teammates showed their support for Chris Terry to become the 16th captain in franchise history, namely his experience and work ethic.
“How old he is now, 40? 45?” defenseman Matt Donovan said with a grin. “Even being as old as he is, he works hard to get better every day. That makes him a great leader.”
In fact, Terry is 34 but after 797 career American Hockey League games and another 152 in the National Hockey League the Brampton, Ontario, native has seen it all at a hockey rink. That will be an asset in the dressing room and the ice after he was the leading vote-getter from teammates to help the coaching staff decide on a captain.
“I’ve been in this league a long time so I’ve seen a lot of things,” said Terry, who donned the C on his uniform for the first time during the Wolves’ 5-2 loss to the Admirals on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. “A lot of things are repetitive so I just give teammates a heads-up about things or just help them out in any way I can.”
The 33-year-old Donovan, who along with Cole Schneider will serve as an alternate captain, said Terry’s experience earns respect among his peers.
“Someone like me who has been around for a while you respect guys you know have played really good hockey for a really long time and he’s a guy who has been around and is still a really good player in this league,” Donovan said. “One thing you look for in a captain is experience and you know he’s been through different situations throughout his career. When you have that experience, it creates a good leader.”
Though Terry is in his first season with the Wolves after signing a free-agent deal during the summer, he has endeared himself to teammates through actions on and off the ice.
“Chris is a type of guy who does everything the right way,” fellow forward Kyle Marino said. “He’s an older guy who everyone looks up to. He’s been doing it for a long time and he shows how to do things by how he takes care of his body and how he’s a pro. His energy when he comes to the rink is like it’s his first year of hockey. He’s infectious to be around and guys want to follow him, for sure.”
While it has been a season of historic milestones for Terry as he celebrated his 300th career AHL goal and 700th point during the first half and is approaching his 800th game, being awarded the captaincy outranks them all.
“This is one that it’s not any number of games or points or goals that you can score, it’s something you get recognized because of who you are as a person and as a player,” Terry said. “To be recognized by not only the coaching staff but more importantly my friends and teammates probably means the most to me.”
DEFENSEMEN CHIPPING IN
One bright spot during a week that saw the Wolves fail to secure a victory was some offensive production from the defensemen.
Ronan Seeley and Tory Dello each earned assists last week while Cavan Fitzgerald scored the only two Wolves goals during a 5-2 defeat to the Admirals on Tuesday night.
“Any chance anyone can contribute, especially on the back end, it’s always nice,” Fitzgerald said. “We just have to keep the puck out of our net and put it in their net.”
The goals were Fitzgerald’s fourth and fifth goals of the season, leaving him two shy of his career high set while with the San Jose Barracuda during the 2018-19 campaign.
“It always feels good to score,” he said. “I’m just trying to help the team in any way I can. Scoring is always something you’re working toward. Sometimes you go through spurts when it doesn’t happen and sometimes when it does.”
IMPACT PLAY OF THE WEEK
During the Wolves’ game against the Admirals on Friday night in Milwaukee, Cole Schneider made this nifty redirection of a Cory Conacher shot to post his sixth goal of the season.
REPUBLIC BANK SAVE OF THE WEEK
Wolves goaltender Adam Scheel made this spectacular sprawling save on the Admirals’ Zach L’Heureux during Tuesday night’s game in Milwaukee.
C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISION OF THE WEEK
Kyle Marino delivered this crunching check to the Admirals’ Liam Foudy on Tuesday night in Milwaukee.
Weekly rewind (0-3-0-0)
FRIDAY, FEB. 9
Admirals 3, Wolves 1: Cole Schneider scored for the Wolves but it wasn’t enough as the Admirals skated to their 13th consecutive win while handing the Wolves their second loss in a row.
SATURDAY, FEB. 10
IceHogs 2, Wolves 1: Cory Conacher scored for the Wolves but the IceHogs’ Mike Hardman notched two goals—including the game-winner in the third period—to help Rockford defeat the Wolves for the first time in five meetings this season.
TUESDAY, FEB. 13
Admirals 5, Wolves 2: Cavan Fitzgerald scored both Wolves goals as the Admirals locked Chicago down defensively en route to their franchise-record 15th victory in a row.
First Star of the Week
Where we stand
16-22-3-2, fifth in the Central Division.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 16 | at Rockford | 7 p.m. | BMO Center | AHLTV |
Saturday, Feb. 17 | Cleveland | 7 p.m. | Allstate Arena | AHLTV/My50 Chicago |
Sunday, Feb. 18 | Cleveland | 3 p.m. | Allstate Arena | AHLTV/My50 Chicago |
Thursday, Feb. 22 | Milwaukee | 11 a.m. | Allstate Arena | AHLTV |
Saturday, Feb. 24 | at Milwaukee | 6 p.m. | UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena | AHLTV |