THU 3 | DEN 4 (OT)

Denver, CO- For the Thunder Bay Timberwolves, Thursday was a disappointing end to an otherwise steller 2009-10 season in the CCHL.
>>>The Timberwolves held on as long as they could. But ultimately it was a Marco Sturm shot 4:55 into the first and only overtime in a Game 7 that would bring it all to a crashing halt.
>>>"It's a bitter pill to swallow," said Timberwolves defenseman, Nick Schultz. "We believed we would be playing in a long post-season. It's just tough right now."
>>>"We wanted more," said Timberwolves rookie forward, T.J. Oshie. "This is not the ending any of us envisioned. Regardless of what anyone else thought. We didn't once believe that we'd be dropped in the first round."
>>>The shock continued to resonate amongst the players, coaches and management while getting ready to board AirWolf One back to Thunder Bay. But also some optimism from some.
>>>"Today sucks," said general manager, Blake Wendt. "Tomorrow is going to suck. I was confident that we'd make a bigger impact in the playoffs. But credit the Spurs and the resiliency they showed throughout this entire series. We played them pretty evenly overall, but the ending favoured them. They have a talented group of guys over there that know how to get the job done."
>>>Despite the emotion of losing a Game 7 in overtime, Wendt is hoping his players take something from this negative emotion and take it to their offseason workouts, training camp and through next season and hopefully a long post-season.
>>>"If we don't learn from this, then that's where we truly lost," said Wendt. "We will be hungry next season."
>>>With their season now over, the off-the-ice work begins for the Timberwolves scouts and management. Twelve picks in the Entry Draft will keep the dog birds busy once again.
>>>"This is where we've put all our eggs if you will, " said Wendt. "The clubs that build through the draft and develop their own players, are the clubs that have continuous, long-term success. We're here for the long run and it begins with our scouts, the draft and the development."
>>>Some of those young players will be looked to next season. John Tavares and Matt Duchene are all but locks for securing roster spots in 2010-11. With guys like Matt Halischuk also getting solid looks. Then there's the blueline with Erik Johnson returning after missing all of 2009-10 due to an offseason injury. With him, fellow rearguards like John Carlson, Matt Corrente and Jason Garrison will try to open some eyes.
>>>"It's an exciting time to be a Timberwolves fan," said Wendt. "We're starting to see the fruits of our labour. In the shadow of a disappointing ending, the beginning of a bright future is just over the hill."