BY SCOTT HADDOW
The Sudbury Wolves confidence level has been shaken recently,
but not shattered.
Sudbury has dropped their last five games and allowed 29 goals
against, and during the last month their record sits at
3-12.
They have dropped a spot in the standings and opposing teams
chasing them in the standings are creeping up fast.
Currently, Sudbury is 21-22-2-5, good for fifth place in the
Eastern Conference. Brampton, who sits ninth and is out of the
playoffs right now, is only six points away.
Sudbury hosts Barrie tonight at the Sudbury Arena with game
time at 7:30 pm. On Sunday, they entertain Windsor with game
time at 2 pm.
The Wolves need to step up their play, and need to do it
now.
"We had a team meeting before the Kitchener game last weekend,"
said head coach and GM Mike Foligno. "Our attitude and
confidence level has wavered and we talked about getting it
back to where it needs to be. We have control over it as
players and coaches. We played with confidence against
Kitchener…we lost but still, it gave us a lot to build on for
the next few games."
One thing the Wolves need is for new No. 1 goalie Sebastian
Dahm to put together a string of solid games that produce wins,
not losses.
"Sebastian is a hungry player," said the bench boss. "We're
going to lean on him down the stretch as he has the experience.
We need him to make the big saves. Overall he has a great
attitude…he's a very intense individual. His crease is his
castle…if players go through and they will pay the price."
The Wolves are getting another stand out season from defender
Jonathan D'Aversa. The big shooter has already topped last
season's totals of 46 points with 11 goals and 47 points in 49
games this year. He also made the OHL all-star game.
"Jonathan is such an important player to this club," said
Foligno. "He's great on offence and reliable defensively. He
makes good tape-to-tape passes and we need his shot from the
blueline on the power play."
Details will be key to tonight's tough contest against
Barrie.
"We have to remain disciplined in our play and actions," said
Foligno. "We lost that against Barrie last time (7-3 loss last
weekend) and we paid the price."
