In the final game of the weekend, the Wolves played the Hamilton Bulldogs at the First Ontario Centre Saturday, where the Bulldogs solidified their victory with an empty net goal to take it 5-3. Blake Murray and Shane Bulitka were the goal scorers for the Wolves.
A strong start for the Eastern Conference leaders had the Bulldogs taking a 2-0 lead to start the first period with goals from Matthew Strome and Isaac Nurse.
The Bulldogs pressured hard, outshooting the Wolves 9-3 halfway through the opening frame. The tenacious Wolves pushed back, starting with a goal from Murray as he scored off of a tic-tac-toe play with Kirill Nizhnikov and Nolan Hutcheson. Minutes later, Murray scored his second of the game as he sniped one past Nick Donofrio to tie the game at 2. It was a disciplined period for both teams as neither team took a penalty.
After the first period, the game was tied at 2 with the Bulldogs slightly edging the Wolves with shots on net 10-9.
Both teams continued to go back and forth in the second period as Bulitka scored to give the Wolves a 3-2 lead. The goal came as his second in as many games. Macauley Carson picked up an assist off of the goal, as he now has five points in his last four games.
Two goals from the Bulldogs of the sticks of Brandon Saigeon and MacKenzie Entwistle gave them a 4-3 lead heading into the second intermission. In a solid period for the Wolves, the team outshot the Bulldogs 9-4.
Hard play from the Bulldogs kept the Wolves away from the net and off the scoreboard in the third period. With the Wolves net empty, the Bulldogs added a goal, credited to Nicholas Caamano, to solidify the win. The Bulldogs led in shots on net with a 31-21 final.
Murray was named the second star of the night after his two-goal performance. Marshall Frappier played a strong game in net for the Wolves, making many great saves through out the game.
The Sudbury Wolves will return home before beginning another long road trip next weekend as they travel to Windsor, Flint, and Saginaw. Action will start in Windsor on Thursday at 7:05pm.
