BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
The Northern Ontario rivalry resumes
tonight.
The Sudbury Wolves meet the Sault Ste. Marie
Greyhounds this evening at the Sudbury Arena in what will be
the first of three games between the two clubs.
Despite their low standings so far in the
Ontario Hockey League, where they sit dead last overall, the
Greyhounds will provide some stiff
competition for the Wolves.
Game time is 7:30 pm.
The Wolves will rely on their hard work to
beat the Hounds, and their new coach, former NHL star and
Greyhound legend, Craig Hartsburg.
"We're playing very hard each game and that's
not going to change," said head coach and general manager Mike
Foligno. "We will see a different team from what we saw in the
exhibition season because they have a new coach in Hartsburg.
He has some experience. He will have them well prepared.
We have to come out hard and play with a
sense of urgency, especially the way the team played against
Brampton last week."
Foligno is looking forward to matching wits
against Hartsburg, whom he played against for several seasons
in the NHL back in the 80s.
"It's like anything else," said Foligno.
"Craig had a really great NHL career. now he's back to coach
the team he once played for and coached. He will have the
respect of his players because he's already gone through it
all. We will have to be the better team. We're going to be in
for a battle. It will be an exciting game."
The game is the first part of the Bell
Challenge Cup. Bell Canada will award the Bell Trophy to the
winner of the six-game series between the two northern
clubs.
Here's a look at the Wolves' top three
leading scorers, and other statistics worth noting.
Rookie Ben Pouliot leads the team with 11
goals and 19 points through 13 games. Veteran Bobby Chaumont is
second with 10 goals and 17 points in
13 games. Wolves 2004 first-round pick, Ryan
McDonough, is third with four goals and 16 points in 12
games.
Defenceman Kyle Lamb leads in the plus/minus
category with an impressive +9 in 13 games.
Captain Zack Stortini leads in the penalty
department with 54 penalty minutes in 13 games.
Wolves goalie Patrick Ehelechner has looked
sharp so far this season. He sports a 5-3-1 record with a 2.50
goals against average and a stingy 0.918
save percentage.
Here's a look at the Greyhounds' top three
scorers.
Jeff Larsh leads the charge with five goals
and nine points in 11 games. First-round NHL pick, Jeff Carter,
is second with two goals and nine points in
eight games. Blair Jarrett is third with
three goals and eight points in 11 games.