BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
When it comes to tests, this weekend presents
a huge, tough test for the Sudbury Wolves.
The good old boys from Sudbury play three
games in three nights, something they do on a regular basis,
but this is no ordinary weekend.
On Friday, the Wolves square off against
their divisional rival, the Brampton Battalion. Game time is
7:30 pm.
It will mark the fourth time the two teams
have met this season. Sudbury holds the advantage in the series
with two wins. The other game ended in a 2-2 draw.
Head coach Mike Foligno has worked his troops
hard in practice in order to prepare for the grueling
weekend.
"There's some areas we have slipped up in
lately, like defensive-zone coverage," said Foligno. "The last
two roads games, it wasn't the strength of our club.
Usually it is. That was discouraging, but those things happen
throughout the year. All of a sudden you're doing well in
one area, you neglect it for a while, and the next thing you
know it goes down hill and you have to work at it again. We
have worked on different aspects of our game, and now it's
time to work on the basics like good, solid work in our own
zone."
On Saturday, the Wolves leave town for a game
against the Owen Sound Attack.
The Wolves then return home for the last, but
arguable the toughest test, on Sunday night against the London
Knights.
Game time is 6:30 pm, and the Wolves'
organization has proclaimed the game to be guaranteed win
night.
If the Wolves lose, ticket holders can bring
their stubs into Don Cherry's for a free appetizer until
Dec. 2.
The Knights are the most feared team in the
OHL and the CHL. As of Nov. 25, the Knights were still unbeaten
this season, with a record of 22-0-1.
"It will be fun," said Foligno about the
guaranteed win night. "It will sure excite the London team and
get them motivated I tell you. It also motivates us because our
guys want to win, and it's a good way to get everybody
sharp and ready for the game. It will be the third game in
three days, so we will have to at our best."
Even tough the Wolves are busy, two players
in particular will be even busier during the stretch.
Today, defenceman Marc Staal and forward Ben
Pouliot play in the first game of the ADT Canada Russia
Challenge in Barrie, a series of matches between CHL players
and a Russian Select squad made up of elite Russian junior
players.
The Russians play two games against OHL,
QMJHL, and WHL select teams.
Staal and Pouliot will also play in the
second game in Mississauga on Monday, Nov. 29. Neither player
will miss any regular season action, and will play in all three
weekend games.
They will have played five games in five
nights when it's all over.
"They are well deserved of the opportunity,"
said Foligno about Staal and Pouliot. "They have worked really
hard, and they will make Sudbury proud."
