BY
SCOTT HADDOW
Battle Report
The Sudbury Wolves believe in themselves and that has propelled them into the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season.
The Wolves were a confident bunch in the opening round against
Mississauga, disposing of the highest scoring team in the OHL
in five games.
It was a total team effort as all the players contributed
something to the win.
Sudbury will need everyone on the same page again as they face
their most bitter rival, the Barrie Colts, in Round 2.
Game 1 was played last night in Barrie. Results were
unavailable at press time. Game 2 goes on Saturday in Sudbury
at 7:30 pm.
"Everyone took their game to another level," said head coach
and GM Mike Foligno. "Our leaders were exceptional...guys like
Marc Staal, Nick Foligno, Andrew Self, Jonathan D'Aversa and
others who have been in this league for a few years showed they
were hungry and wanted to win. Everyone not only raised their
level of play, but also raised their expectations of themselves
and that made the difference against Mississauga. They went out
and made it happen...they got the job done."
The Wolves showed their killer instinct by dumping the IceDogs
in Game 5, the first chance Sudbury got to eliminate their
foe.
"Having that killer instinct is important, especially in the
playoffs," said Foligno. "The guys believe in themselves. We
had a lot of respect for Mississauga and I think that's why we
played them so hard. The guys are hungry to move on. We have to
keep playing this intense hockey to keep moving forward."
Sudbury rode the wave created by Staal's commanding performance
against Mississauga. The six-foot-four defender was a
dominating force, providing unmatched leadership, big hits and
highlight real goals.
"Marc played some of the best hockey of his junior career,"
said Foligno. "He has shown everybody he can play in the NHL.
He's not playing at the junior level...he's playing like a pro
and that's why he can do the things he does and do them so
well. I don't think there was a Mississauga player who didn't
feel the wrath of Marc Staal. Our team is following him."
Foligno also served up some praise for rugged forward Andrew
Self, who surprised a lot of people with four goals, including
two game winners, and seven points against the IceDogs.
"Andrew went into the weight room and started to do the extra
things that count," said Foligno. "He came in on his days off
and worked on his skating, speed and game. It's paying
dividends for him now. He lost five or six pounds and it's made
him faster, but he's also kept his strength. He's physical and
has a lot more endurance. He was a real catalyst in the first
round and he's excited to play Barrie."
Sudbury gleaned plenty from the first-round victory.
"We learned to fully believe in ourselves and our ability as a
team," said Foligno. "We earned the right to be in the second
round through discipline, self belief, hard work and strong
play. We feel we can beat Barrie."
The Colts owned the Wolves during the regular season, winning
six of the eight games.
 Enemy Line
The Barrie Colts are feeling good about themselves, but they're
not riding tall in the saddle.
The Colts swept the Brampton Battalion in the first round,
sending them on a date with the Sudbury Wolves in the Eastern
Conference semifinal. (The series started yesterday, but
results from Game 1 were unavailable at press time.)
Despite the sweep, the series against Brampton wasn't as easy
as it looked.
Barrie won two games in overtime and another by one goal.
"Brampton did a good job preparing for us," said head coach
Marty Williamson. "It was typical playoff hockey.
When you get into the playoffs, you throw away where teams finish out the window...it doesn't matter. It was a tough series despite the fact we won in four games. Going to the next round is obviously where we want to be. We wanted to get through the first round and have some time to rest and prepare. We're ready to play."
Barrie is expecting an even tougher test from Sudbury.
Williamson has kept a close eye on Sudbury versus
Mississauga.
"It should be a very even series," said the bench boss. "I
watched two of Sudbury's games and they were
impressive...playing good hockey, which is what we expected
from them all year. Marc Staal was wonderful in the series. I
see a lot of similarities between the two clubs when I look
down the lineups. Both teams have quality goaltending, a strong
defence and guys who can score. We pride ourselves on good
defence, so does Sudbury. I would be shocked if this series
didn't go six or seven games."
During the 2006-07 season, Barrie made a few major moves to
bolster their lineup. At the start of the year, they picked up
feisty winger Richard Clune from Sarnia and defender Mike Weber
from Windsor.
The prices were steep, but the moves impacted the club deeply
in a positive way.
Clune scored career highs in goals (32), assists (46), points
(78) and penalty minutes (151). He was also a terrifying force
against Sudbury in the regular season, scoring five goals and
13 points.
Weber stabilized the Colts' blueline. In 31 games with Barrie,
Weber picked up three goals and 15 points along with 86 penalty
minutes. He was also a solid +22.
"They're top players in this league," said Williamson. "Clune
has given us balanced scoring. He's a gritty player who plays
with tempo...we needed that on our team. Our defence wasn't
deep enough and Weber gave us a guy who could log a lot of key
minutes. He also gave us balance at the back. They were both
great acquisitions."
Barrie also picked up Sudbury boy Cory McGillis from Windsor at
the trade deadline. McGillis stumbled upon arrival, but slowly
put together a strong game. In 21 games with Barrie, McGillis
recorded 10 goals, 14 points, 50 penalty minutes and four
game-winning goals.
"Cory's first couple of weeks were hard, but he eventually
found a fit and a home here," said Williamson. "He really
stepped it up towards the end of the season. He's a physical
kid...he loves to hit and doesn't mind being hit. If anything,
we felt our team was  soft last season and with Cory's
toughness he helps address that area. We're not a fighting
team, but we have good team toughness that can play tough for
60 minutes or more. Cory also has good hands, better than I
thought. If he gets the opportunity, he can finish and that's a
real asset."
