Junior Wolves looking to chow down on Islanders again

BY SCOTT HADDOW

The Kal Tire Sudbury Junior Wolves have a ferocious appetite and they will look to fill their bellies tonight by gorging on the visiting Manitoulin Islanders.

Game time at the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff is 7:30 pm.

This will be the second meeting between the two clubs so far this season.

In the first game, back on Sept. 15, the Junior Wolves dumped the Islanders 6-3 in Manitoulin.

Defenceman Scott Lavigne enjoyed one his most brilliant performances by scoring two goals and five points in the win.

It will be a different team coming into Sudbury tonight.

The Islanders lost their first three games, but have won two straight thanks to victories over the Soo Indians (their first loss of the season) and Blind River.

The Islanders put a lot of faith into their goalies, which have stepped up their games, including No. 1 starter Billy Stone, who's 2-3 with a 3.76 goals-against-average with a .911 save percentage.

"Our goaltending has been solid," said head coach Barry Parsons. "If we can keep games close, our goaltending will win games for us."

Parsons wants his team to keep up their efforts against Sudbury.

"I am looking for more of the same from my team...Hard work and lots of skating," said Parsons. "We have to count on our speed and puck movement."

The Islanders currently sport a record of 2-3-0-1, good for five points and sixth place in the NOJHL.

Top three scorers (games played, goals, assists, points): Justin Hogan 6-6-2-8, Carlo Metatawbin 6-1-6-7, Anthony Fey 6-0-7-7.

Sudbury is coming off a major win over their bitter rivals, North Bay, on Sunday night.

The Junior Wolves thumped the Skyhawks 7-3, with the Restoule leading the way with three goals and four points. Sniper Brendan Biedermann also scored a hat trick in the victory. Lavigne also factored in big, by registering four assists.
Sudbury's record sits at 5-1-0-1, good for 11 points and first overall in the NOJHL standings.

Top three scorers (games played, goals, assist, points): Scott Lavigne 7-3-14-17, Scott Restoule 5-7-9-16, Matt Chiupka 7-5-8-13.

Head coach Tom Faganely expects stiff competition tonight.

"Manitoulin is much improved since the last time we played them," said the bench boss. "We beat them 6-3 last time, but they didn't have their No. 1 goalie. It will be a tough game. If our guys give a full effort, we will come out on top. Beating North Bay was a confidence booster...we picked up our defensive game considerably and the boys are starting to come together."