BY SCOTT HADDOW
It was a game to forget and remember. The
Sudbury Wolves lost 2-0 to Central Division cellar dwellers
Mississauga on Sunday after forgettable performances from
almost the entire team.
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By Scott Haddow Devin DiDiomete came out swinging
for the Sudbury Wolves, dropping the gloves with
Mississauga's Brett Oliphant in the second period.
more photos> |
The game also marked the return of forward
Jesse Messier, who has been out of the Wolves' line up
since September 2004 due to a neck and back injury sustained in
an exhibition game against Sault Ste. Marie. Messier, the
Wolves second round pick, 25th overall, in the 2004 draft, has
kept training during the layoff and was able to make his return
after truing 18 and signing legal waivers forms to resume
playing.
Wolves head coach and GM couldn't help
but praise Messier's resolve.
"He stood in there well," said Foligno. "It
was good to see him back in the line up and he's just going
to get better and better for us every day."
The Wolves entered the game 27 points ahead
of Mississauga in the standings, but it didn't matter one
bit to the IceDogs who played a methodical game all three
periods.
After a scoreless first frame, Mississauga
jumped on the score board when Justin Dacosta scored short
handed just 17 seconds into the second period.
Mississauga iced the game early in the third
period, when Jadran Beljo bulged the twine just 20 seconds in
the final period on the power play.
The Wolves fired 33 shots at Mississauga back
up goalie Lucas Lobsinger, but couldn't solve him.
Sudbury puck stopper, Kevin Beech, made 27
saves in the loss.
Foligno was unimpressed with his team's
lackluster performance.
"Obviously we didn't play very well,"
said Foligno. "We didn't play with the smarts we normally
play with. We have to put this one behind us...We have to learn
as a team and grow from our mistakes. Today, we just played a
flat game. From start to finish, it just didn't seem like
anybody wanted to take charge. We didn't play like a
team."
Captain Marc Staal also couldn't hide his
disdain for the Wolves' woeful effort.
"We were not really good," said Staal.
"Everybody was on their own page out there on the ice. It's
one we have to put behind us."
Staal and the team enjoyed seeing Messier
back on the ice.
"Jesse had been wanting to get back in the
line up...It was great to see him get in his first game," said
Staal. "He's a good player."
The IceDogs, despite being out of the
playoffs, were overjoyed by beating one of their main rivals,
especially since the last meeting between the two clubs
resulted in a 9-1 pounding by the Wolves.
"It's a huge win for us because we have
been struggling a lot lately," said Sudbury native and IceDogs
sniper Jadran Beljo. "It was nice to come on the road and get a
hard-fought victory. We stayed with our system and they were
slowed down by it."
For Beljo, the season in Mississauga has been
full of ups and downs, after he was traded last year from
powerhouse Peterborough to Mississauga.
"I got injured at the start of the season and
it was rough," said Beljo. "I have been picking it up lately
and playing a lot better. I am just trying to finish off
strong."
Sudbury's record now stands at 32-28-1-5,
good for 70 points. The loss, however, pushed the Wolves down
into seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Wolves hit the road for two games, the
final two of their 2005-06 regular season, against Kingston on
Friday and Ottawa on Sunday.
Both games can be heard live on 790 CIGM with
Stew Kernan calling all the action.
