The result was the same for the Sudbury Wolves but the product on the ice is noticeably better as Sault Ste. Marie needed overtime to top the Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
The Wolves pick up just their second point in five games to begin the year.
This on featured a mini comeback for Sudbury only to allow to of the Greyhounds top players a 2-on-0 rush in overtime.
“We got a better effort and still it’s getting to the point it’s about winning,” said Wolves Head Coach Cory Stillman. We’re doing some better things, tonight was a night that we didn’t have a lead, we battled back and played hard for 60 minutes. You give up a 2-on-0 in overtime, chances are you’re going to lose the hockey game.”
This is a Greyhounds team that was ranked a top five team in the CHL before the season began.
Halfway through the extra period, a Wolves defenceman jumped up looking to keep the puck in the Soo zone, but it jumped over his stick and that sprung Morgan Frost, a 2017 1st round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers and Boris Katchouk, a 2016 2nd round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Frost slid a pass to Katchouk who snapped it past a diving Jake McGrath.
“We’d like to replay that one that’s for sure. When you get to three-on-three it’s a chance for chance hockey game. I guess we tried to make a play, thought we could jump in and steal one, you put (Morgan) Frost and (Boris) Katchouk on a 2-on-0 I think 99 per cent of the time they’re going to score a goal, they did that tonight and that’s the difference in the hockey game,” said Stillman.
“That’s not how we wanted it to end, but I think the team as a whole, we’re heading in the right direction,” said McGrath.
McGrath has played well over his last two starts, three goals on 33 shots Friday and then he stopped 36 of 38 today.
“Jake played well, he played extremely well, he made some big saves for us. Being a goalie that has an opportunity to be a number one and a starter all the time, that’s the effort we’re going to need from him,” said Stillman.
Another big plus for the Wolves was seeing Dmitry Sokolov net his first of the season.
Stillman paired Sokolov with David Levin and Troy Lajeunesse and they connected on one of the nicest goals of the season.
“They played well tonight. It’s nice to see Soks (Sokolov) score, he’s been actually getting some opportunities, he had the chance to be the hero tonight too, but their goalie made a timely save. That line is supposed to produce offence and they did score for us,” said Stillman.
The save Stillman is talking about came just a few minutes after Sokolov scored his first.
The puck squirted out to Sokolov who was alone in the Greyhounds zone, he went forehand to backhand and was robbed by the glove of Matthew Villalta.
The Greyhounds got their first goal in the second period, Keeghan Howdeshell put home a rebound off a Morgan Frost shot.
Sokolov’s goal came early into the third period.
The Sudbury Wolves now hit the road for a Thanksgiving showdown with division rivals.
They will take on Niagara Thursday night and head to Mississauga on Friday.
