A costly turnover and a bad third period as the Erie Otters walked away with a 4-2 win in their lone trip to Sudbury this season.
The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period when a turnover led to a Otter goal and then 23 seconds later in went another one.
“I think that once we got to the third we kind of let off, can’t do that in this league,” said Cole Candella.
Erie had just snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday in North Bay, while the loss puts Sudbury’s losing skid up to five games.
The Erie Otters have not been kind to Sudbury over the past five years with just one loss in now 10 games against the Wolves, which includes a 5-0 record for Erie in the Nickel City.
Wolves Assistant Coach Darryl Moxam believes confidence has been lacking when in a tight game.
“Same thing we’ve been saying all year, we’re a young team that’s right now at this point in time, we’re finding ways to lose games,” said Moxam.
But Candella believes there may be another source.
“We’ve struggled a little bit with third’s this year, I don’t think it really has to do with the confidence thing, I just think that guys are tired and they shouldn’t be because we’re for sure the most conditioned team in the league. When you’re tired, brain shuts down, and 90 per cent of the game is your brain. So I think we need to learn how to just be simpler when we’re up and make the right plays versus trying to do a little bit too much,” said Candella.
And mistakes and missed opportunities, a common theme for the Wolves, once again came back to haunt them.
“It seems like right now, when things are going bad things are going bad. It feels like you make one mistake and it ends up in the back of your net. Right now that’s just the way things are going for us,” said Moxam.
A great start by the Sudbury Wolves as the Wolves jumped out in front in shots 5-0 in the first few minutes.
The Wolves had their chances including a short-handed shot that trickled through the pads of goalie Anand Oberoi and appeared to cross the redline, but it was never reviewed.
Sudbury broke through with six minutes left in the period as Anthony Tabak squeaked one past the left pad of Oberoi for his sixth of the season.
The Wolves led 1-0 after the first period and also led in shots 16-7.
Sudbury continued the pressure in the second period, but it was Erie with the lone goal of the period.
The Otters had five power-play chances by the second to Sudbury’s one, and they made Sudbury pay on the fifth.
It was a familiar face as well, as Troy Lajeunesse who was dealt at the trade deadline from Sudbury scored his first with Erie and first goal since November.
And the goal came seconds after a two-on-one shorthanded opportunity was missed by Sudbury.
Wolves Blake McConville and Otters Kurtis Henry tried to give their team a spark as they dropped the gloves late in the period, both exchanged blow after blow in a fight that seemed to go on for 30 seconds.
Despite Sudbury outshooting Erie again in the period the game was tied heading into the third period 1-1.
The third is where the Wolves started to unravel.
In the first few minutes, they were outshot 6-1 and ended up being outshot 14-9 in the period.
8:20 into the third and Christian Girhiny scored on a tip-in after Stephane Patry picked up a lose puck on a turnover in the Wolves zone.
Patry scored on a wrist shot 23 seconds later.
Lajeunesse added an empty net against his former squad to make it 4-1.
Cole Candella scored his fourth of the season with 1:01 left in the third but it was too late.
The last time the Wolves had scored four goals in a game was December 29, a 7-4 loss to Niagara.
During that time they scored three goals just four times in 15 games.
“We’re trying to shoot from closer in, we call it the house. As Stilly(Cory Stillman) said, 25 per cent of goals are scored in there so as of now we’re just trying to get more shots from in there. I think a lot of guys that are goal scorers on our team are kind of feeling like they’re struggling even though they might be looking great, some guys might be a little upset with not getting points,” said Candella.
Sudbury gets a much-needed break from the three game in three day weekend as they are off now until Flint heads up north next weekend.
@Nick Liard covers the Sudbury Wolves for Sudbury.com, provides game commentary for the Wolves on Eastlink, and serves as news director at 92.7 Rock and Kiss 105.3.
