Those waiting for a Christmas miracle for the Jasper Wolves will have to wait another year, as the team dropped their final game before Christmas 10-6 to Legal.

The Wolves stood tall against Legal for much of the first period, and even grabbed a lead near the end of the period.

However the goal woke up the Legal team, who then scored three times in the next 30 seconds. Defensive breakdowns following a goal have plagued the Wolves this season, and Legal took full advantage.

Legal’s strategy of crashing the net worked to their advantage, as the officials called very few interference penalties.

The Wolves cut the lead to 4-2 thanks to a wicked wrist shot from Jamie Black that found the back of the net. However once again, Legal responded with three goals of their own, taking advantage of some weak defensive play by the Wolves. Kent Paterson was able to score before the period ended, bringing the score to 7-3.

The Wolves once again stormed back in the beginning of the third, after a pretty passing play ended with a Black goal. Shortly after, an aggressive fore-check led to Legal sliding the puck into their own net.

However that’s as close as Jasper came, as Legal took over the game for the remainder of the third period, scoring three more goals before Rob Olson popped in a rebound at the end of the game.

The loss followed an 10-1 loss to Drayton Valley on Dec. 18.