Timpano comes up huge in win over IceDogs

It was everything Troy Timpano could ask for. The Sudbury Wolves sophomore goalie started the first game of the 2014-15 season on home ice against the Niagara IceDogs and proceeded to lead the team to victory as he stopped 46 shots in a 3-1 victory.

Throughout all three periods, Timpano was pelted and tested. Shots came from everywhere and there was always traffic in the crease. There was constant pressure from the IceDogs shooters and Timpano barely had time throughout it all to catch his breath. Timpano never hated it for a second.

“I love it,” he said. “I had a lot of fun out there.”

When the dust settled on the game, the Wolves had emptied the tank. Not only did they get a stellar performance from Timpano, but the forwards and defence did their job as well as they could. Every player from young to old pitched in by doing all sorts of little things and dirty deeds. Players were blocking shots, throwing and taking hits to make plays, standing up for teammates and fighting and making a concentrated effort on defensive zone coverage. It was gritty and it resulted in the victory. It will need to be repeated 67 more times this season.

“We got better as the game went on,” Sudbury head coach Paul Fixter said. “Troy Timpano did a good job. He held us in there. It was a team effort, there’s no question. Everybody contributed in some way. Everybody played a lot of minutes. That’s the way it has got to be. We’re going to win games through team effort.”

The Wolves were on their heels from the start of the first period as the IceDogs came out charging. Niagara unloaded shots on Timpano, firing 17 shots in the first period, with only Graham Knott finding a chink in Timpano’s armour at the 8:57 mark of the opening frame.

The second period saw both teams loosen up just a bit and it created chaos as the action was furious. The physical play intensified in the second period as well as players from both sides began dishing out the hits. Sudbury rookie Michael Pezzetta cashed in his first career OHL goal to tie the game at 1-1 at the 4:37 mark.

As time ended in the middle frame, emotions boiled over and Sudbury’s Matt Schmalz got his hands bloody as he went toe-to-toe with Niagara’s Ryan Mantha. The two giants hooked up and let loose with wild haymakers in a long and drawn out scrap.

The Wolves gained momentum from the fight for the third period and used it wisely. Early in the third period, Sudbury’s new co-captain, Brody Silk, took a pass from Schmalz and roared in on Niagara goalie Brent Moran and fired a tidy shot by him at 7:42 to break the deadlock.

Despite an aggressive campaign mounted by the IceDogs in the second half of the third period, they couldn’t solve Timpano and Sudbury’s Pavel Jenys iced the game away with an empty-net goal with just 11 seconds remaining to make the final 3-1.

“We found a way to win,” Silk said.

After the game, there was no shortage of praise being handed out for Timpano. It was for good reason. Timpano held the Wolves in the game and gave them the chance to win.

“He played an outstanding game,” Schmalz said. “Without him, we would have been stuck in a well for sure.”

Silk was fired up after the win. He missed the majority of last season and didn’t make the impact he wanted to upon his return. This season is all about being an impact player for Silk. He made an impact by scoring the game winning goal.

“It’s definitely a huge confidence booster for myself. You always want to be that go-to-guy that gets the winning goals. I couldn’t have done it without the team in front of me,” Silk said.

The Wolves hope the can ride the tide of the victory into the next games, which will be on the road against Belleville (Saturday) and Oshawa (Sunday). They certainly soaked up the good vibes from starting the season on a winning note.

“This is awesome … couldn’t have been any better,” Schmalz said.


Game notes

-- The game’s three stars were: Troy Timpano (first), Brody Silk (second) and Michael Pezzetta (third).

-- Sudbury scratched Chase Hawley, Jonathan Masters, Devon Paliani and Nick Baptiste.

-- Niagara scratched Stephen Dhillon, Ben Hughes, Brian Bosnan, Brendan Perlini, Christopher Paquette and Zach Wilkie.

-- Sudbury was 0-2 on the power play, while Niagara was 0-3.

-- Niagara out-shot Sudbury 47-25.