Still flying from their 5-2 victory against the Mississauga Steelheads on Friday, the Sudbury Wolves welcomed their division rivals back to the Sudbury Arena last night, for Game Two of their first round playoff series.
Nearly matched in performance, this exciting face-off had a nail-bitting finish, with David Levin slamming home the game winner in overtime to secure a 3-2 final for Sudbury. Another impressive performance by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen kept the Steelheads at bay, with final shots on goal 41-29 in favour of Mississauga.
Mississauga's James Hardie opened up the scoreboard early into the first period, giving the Steelheads a 1-0 lead. David Levin was quick to settle the score, burying a pass from Adam Ruzicka right under the nose of Steelhead's goalie, Jacob Ingham.
Working off a remarkable diving save by Luukkonen, Wolves' Quinton Byfield rushed the puck past Mississauga and scored, giving Sudbury a 2-1 lead heading into second.
Wolves' Nolan Hutcheson lent a helping hand between the pipes in second, blocking the initial shot by the Steelheads. However, this two man army wasn't enough to keep former Wolf Alan Lyszczarczyk from turning around and beating Luukkonen, setting the score 2-2.
Both teams failed to claim the win in third, forcing the match into overtime. Wolves' Levin brought the crowd to their feet in the extra frame, slamming in a pass from Ruzicka to claim a 3-2 final for Sudbury.
The Mississauga Steelheads will host the Sudbury Wolves for Game Three of the playoffs at 7 p.m. this evening, at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre. Check back with Sudbury.com tomorrow for the full game report.
