The second-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series
between the Sudbury Wolves and Peterborough Petes could
resemble two bulls fighting in a china shop.
Both teams are big and loaded with skilled players, and both
will fight for every inch of ice to try and win and move into
the league semifinals.
The much anticipated series starts Thursday evening in
Peterborough, who had the best record in the Eastern Conference
during the regular season. Game two is set for Friday evening,
with games three and four returning to Sudbury Monday and
Tuesday night at the Sudbury Arena.
There are no shortage of intriguing story lines to follow,
with Wolves defender and captain Marc Staal set to battle his
younger brother Jordan, a key forward for the Petes.
Fans will also be keeping their eyes on Steve Downie, who
plays for the Petes and Wolves rookie Akim Aliu.
Downie was a former teammate with Aliu in Windsor at the
start of the season. The two had a fight during a Windsor
practice over a hazing incident that eventually lead to both
young men being traded.
Both teams are coming into the series on highs - Sudbury
having won their opening series over Kingston in six games,
while Peterborough won their matchup, also in six games, over
Ottawa.
The first round is but a memory and the next battle has both
teams excited and anxious to get going.
"We stack up really well against Peterborough," said Wolves
head coach and GM Mike Foligno. "We are very similar teams.
Both teams are big, skilled and good defensively.
"Goaltending is fairly even as well. Maybe the way Kevin
Beech played for us, he has a bit of an edge because he has
been sharp and is at the top of his game right now."
The Petes know they have a war on their hands against
Sudbury.
"In the playoffs, whoever you face, it's always a real
battle," said Petes head coach Dick Todd. "Sudbury plays hard
and always does in their building. So do we. We're looking
forward to a hard battle."
Foligno believes the winner of the series will be decided by
who wants it more and manages to remain healthy.
"It's going to come down to the hungrier team," said the bench boss.
"The team that's more prepared and stays healthy has the best chance.
Too many injuries can hurt. We were fortunate enough, in the
first round, to have depth to replace two top-seven players on
our club - Gary Friesen and Aliu. Gerome Giudice really stepped
up...played physical and got some points. Devin DiDiomete also
stepped up...and responded."
Foligno downplayed the Downie/Aliu controversy.
"The personal stuff has to be left behind," said Foligno.
"These players have to be thinking about their teams. What we
need from Akim is for him to show everyone how good of a player
he really is.
"Number one, is him getting healthy (Aliu has been in and
out of the lineup since Game One of the Kingston series due to
an upper body injury sustained in a fight)."
Todd doesn't want to see anything overly nasty develop
between Downie and Aliu, but knows both players are going to
have special incentive to make a difference in this series.
"We're going to encourage Steve to just play hockey," said
Todd. "I would hope there's no animosity and it doesn't turn
into a side show. I prefer the game to be played on the ice."
The Wolves walking wounded are getting good news and bad
news right now.
Overager Justin Allen is probably out for the rest of the
year, but Aliu and Friesen are day-to-day and he expects both
to play significant roles in the series against the Petes, said
Foligno.
The Petes are fully aware of the exploits of Sudbury sniper
Ben Pouliot, who torched Kingston for eight goals and 11 points
in six games.
"He played his first game back from the Minnesota camp
against us and scored three goals," said Todd. 
"We respect his abilities and understand the contributions
he has made to the Wolves' success."
The Wolves will be counting on enthusiastic fans to keep
Sudbury Arena buzzing with electricity for the home games.
"Our fans have been great and given us unbelievable
support," said Foligno. "We are going to need them even more as
the games are going to get tougher."
The Wolves' players say they are ready for everything
Peterborough might throw at them.
"We are not going to back down when it comes to physical play," said Devin DiDiomete. "It's going to be hard for teams to wear us down... We're excited to play them. You have to beat the best to be the best."
