The Sudbury Wolves secured their fifth straight win last night with a 5-1 victory over their Central Division rivals, the Barrie Colts.
Wolves goalie Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen, made an impressive 28 saves throughout the evening holding the Colts to only one goal. Wolves goal scorers included Blake Murray, David Levin, Darian Pilon, Macauley Carson and Quinton Byfield.
The Wolves earned all three Molson stars of the game, with Levin claiming first and Byfield and Luukkonen announced as second and third respectively.
Pilon got the crowd going with a big hit halfway through the first period, enthusiasm furthered by Lukkonen's impressive save to rob Colts' Luke Bignell on the one timer. After 20 minutes the score remained 0-0, with the Colts holding a 10-6 shot advantage.
The Wolves took control of the score sheet in the second period, scoring three goals in 1:36 to take a 3-0 lead early in the second frame.
Murray opened up scoring after he capitalized on a rebound in front of Colts' goaltender Maksim Zhukov. Levin follow that up 33 seconds later, with a wicked wrist shot after being set up by Owen Robinson. Pilon completed the trio, scoring 55 seconds after Levin's goal.
But the Wolves weren't done yet. Carson slammed home his seventh of the season in the final seconds of the Sudbury power play, after which Byfield finished off what was a five-goal period with a perfectly placed shot under the arm of Zhukov. After 40 minutes, the Wolves had secured a 5-0 lead.
The Colts were able to break the shutout in the final frame, thanks to Buffalo Sabres prospect Matej Pekar scaping the puck over the line to cut the Wolves lead to four.
The Wolves did not allow a further goal by the Colts, closing out the period and securing their fifth straight win with a 5-1 victory. Final shots on goal were 33 to 229 in favour of the Wolves.
The Wolves look to extend their five-game win streak when they welcome the Guelph Storm to Sudbury Arena this afternoon at 4:05 p.m. The Storm are led upfront by San Jose Sharks 2018 1st round prospect Ryan Merkley and Arizona Coyotes prospect Nate Schnarr, who both have 36 points in the season.
Cheer on your Sudbury Wolves this season by purchasing your tickets at greatersudbury.ca/tickets, sudburywolves.com, or in person at the Sudbury Arena Box Office.
New this season, online tickets purchased from your computer or mobile device are now the same price as box office. Fans that get their tickets online in advance, can skip the line by scanning their phone or printing their tickets.
