The Sudbury Wolves visit Guelph on Family Day and taught the Storm a third-period lesson, coming out with a big 4-1 win.
Marcus Vandenberg got the nod as the starting goaltender for the Wolves while the Storm went with Brayden Gillespie between the pipes.
The win was especially sweet as the Pack was coming off a big loss in Kitchener on Sunday afternoon. Kocha Delic scored Sudbury’s only goal as the team fell 6-1 to the Rangers on Feb. 18.
Despite the Wolves carrying the play in the first period and dominating in the puck possession department, the first period ended in a goaltenders’ battle and the score remained 0-0 after one period of play.
In the second period, both the Storm and the Wolves peppered the opposing goalies with shots, but neither team could break through, and the game remained scoreless with one period remaining in the game.
Finally, 21 seconds into the third period, David Goyette broke the scoreless tie with his 32nd goal of the season to give the Sudbury Wolves a 1-0 lead.
At the 5:54 mark of the third period, Kocha Delic scored his 20th goal of the season to give Sudbury a 2-0 lead.
With 6:45 remaining in the period, Dalibor Dvorsky scored his 31st goal of the season, this one on the power play, to increase Sudbury’s lead to 3-0.
With 2:43 to go in the game, Cam Allen scored his first goal of the season for the Storm, making the score 3-1 for the Wolves.
Goyette scored his second goal of the game with 2:12 remaining to give the Wolves a 4-1 lead, and the win.
The Sudbury Wolves now hold a record of 32 wins, 16 losses, three overtime losses, and three shootout losses, good for first place in the Central Division, tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Brantford Bulldogs, and tied for third place overall in the Ontario Hockey League, also with the Bulldogs.
Also, thanks to the Wolves’ win and the Kitchener Rangers defeating the Peterborough Petes 6-2 on Monday afternoon, the Sudbury Wolves have punched their ticket to the 2024 Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
The Sudbury Wolves return home for a game on Feb. 23 against the Peterborough Petes with a scheduled start time of 7:05 p.m.
Super fan Robert McCarthy covers Sudbury Wolves games for Sudbury.com. Got a question for Robert? Email it to [email protected].
