The quest to be the best in the NOJHL continues as teams battle for bragging rights. Here's a quick look at the local entry, the Kal Tire Sudbury Junior Wolves, a few of their rivals and how local players are performing.
Sudbury Junior Wolves
For the first time all season, the Junior Wolves have been bumped out of the penthouse of the NOJHL standings.
Abitibi passed them this past weekend by one point, but Sudbury has played four less games.
The Junior Wolves are in second spot with a record of 16-6-0-2. Sudbury is in action tonight against the Manitoulin Islanders.
Game time at the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff is 7:30 pm. Sudbury is coming off a 6-3 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds this past Sunday.
The team has added some muscle and experience by bringing back defenceman Brodie Wilson. The 20-year-old is known for his toughness and no-nonsense play.
"Brodie is going to be counted on to provide leadership and toughness," said head coach Tom Faganely. "He adds a lot of character and will be a good influence in the dressing room."
Wilson is a six-foot, 200-pound player and had two goals, 19 points and 150 penalty minutes in 38 games last season with Sudbury.
Wilson had two points in his first game with Sudbury against the Thunderbirds. He will also fill the void left on defence by Matt Pelland, who has gone to play for Rayside-Balfour in the Great North Midget League.
Sudbury has scored the most goals in the NOJHL with 107.
Sudbury is lead in scoring by high-flying forward Scott Restoule, who has 16 goals and 39 points in 18 games.
He also leads the NOJHL in scoring and has 11 points in his last six games. Restoule has only been held off the score sheet once so far this season against Blind River on Nov. 11
Abitibi Eskimos
The Eskimos have been playing a lot of hockey lately and taken full advantage. Abitibi has won three straight games and taken over first place in the NOJHL standings with a 16-9-0-3 record.
A big reason for their surge up the standings has been the play of forwards Matt Brunet and Dan Dube.
Brunet is second in league scoring with 37 points, while Dube is third with 36 points.
Abitibi is also getting stellar goaltending as Miles Williams is 15-4-0-1 with a 2.48 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage.
Blind River Beavers
The Beavers continue to make noise and stay competitive. The squad owns third place in the standings with a record of 13-10-0-3, and has won four straight games.
They will look to continue the streak tonight against the Soo Indians. Two local players figure prominently into the Beavers' success - goalie Shawn Sirman and defenceman Andre Gauvin.
Sirman is a top goalie with a 5-3-1 record and a sharp 2.91 GAA and .919 save percentage, which is the best in the NOJHL.
Gauvin has 26 points in 25 games. He just recently scored his first goal of the season versus the Thunderbirds. Blind River is in action tonight against the Indians.
North Bay Skyhawks
The Skyhawks are in trouble and need to turn things around. The club has lost six of their last seven games and now sit in fifth place in the standings with a record of 12-10-0-1.
Val Caron native Scott Faulkner continues to impress with 10 goals and 15 points in 22 games as a rookie. They play the Indians on Friday.
Manitoulin Islanders
The Islanders sit in the basement of the league standings, but still give teams a good fight.
Manitoulin is 2-4 in their last six games. Val Therese native Justin Hogan leads the squad in scoring with nine goals and 21 points.
Garson native Anthony Fey is also a key player on the blue line with 17 points and 61 penalty minutes in 20 games. Manitoulin plays tonight in Sudbury.
See Sudbury report above for more information.
