And while it’s been a testing season for the side — they’ve won just one game of six in the New Zealand Women’s Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL), against Dunedin Thunder, in the first round — coach Colin McIntosh believes the losses have added some fire to his players’ bellies.
Unlike the men’s league, in which the second and third-placed teams at the end of the round robin go head-to-head to book a finals slot, played in a best-of-three format, all four women’s teams in the NZWIHL play in the finals — being held in Queenstown next month.
Because the Wild finished at the bottom of the table, they have to dispose of first-placed Auckland Steel in the semis, a side which beat them 4-2 and 3-0 earlier this month, to advance to the gold medal game.
McIntosh is hopeful.
"We didn’t play our best hockey in Auckland, but we had quite a few niggly injuries, and a few players with the flu.
"Every game this year was close ... there’s not really been any games that we haven’t been in it, which bodes well."
He’s also hoping the tough season so far provides them with some extra motivation.
"The girls have a taste for losing now, and they don’t like it, so hopefully that gives us a little bit of edge going into finals."
While it may seem like an almighty mountain to climb, McIntosh points out success during the round robin doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the finals.
Last year, for example, the Wild finished at the top of the table, having lost just one game, in a shootout, and came tantalisingly close to becoming back-to-back champions, before losing the final, against Auckland, again, in a shootout.
He says there are "definitely" things to work on over the next couple of weeks.
"I think you’ll see them all preparing the next couple of weeks as if it’s do or die, which is a good thing."
McIntosh is also hoping Kelli Burstein’s back from an injury that kept her out of last weekend’s home games against Canterbury Inferno, which they lost 4-3 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday — the latter marked both captain Kellye Nelson and Gabby Mills’ 50th games in the league — and they can play to their strengths.
"Our depth is definitely in our goaltending ... plus we have two of the best forwards in the league in Kellye and Lova [Holmqvist], we always expect them to do something offensive, so it’s not going to change in finals ... I’m hoping they can put some pucks in the net.
"I think we have the strongest [defensive] core, and, obviously, the best first line in the league."
They’ll also have the added bonus of a home crowd, which the team’s hoping will pack ‘the barn’ — to give them a little bit of extra "oomph", he says.
"Being at home’s huge, obviously you have people that you’re playing for and in front of ... they know if they win two games, they win gold.
"Only they can control it."
The NZWIHL semifinals will be played in Queenstown on September 14 — the Wild play Auckland at 3.30pm — ahead of the bronze medal playoff at 2.15pm on September 15, and the gold medal game at 5.15pm.
Tickets are expected to be available soon.
