Despite being outshot by their southern Ontario rivals, the Sudbury Wolves looked on track to win Friday night’s home game against the Mississauga Steelheads, that is until a late third-period rally by the visitors ended the Pack’s hopes.
Sudbury was outshot by Mississauga 32-21. The Wolves’ power play was more successful, going one-for-two to the Steelheads’ one-for-four.
The loss drops Sudbury’s record to 9-16-3-0 on the season, good enough for 21 points. The Wolves sit ninth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference and 19th overall.
The win improves Mississauga’s record to 14-13-3-0, good enough for 31 points. The Steelheads are sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall.
Sudbury opened the scoring 2:53 into the first period and on the power play. Wolves forward Kocha Delic scored his fifth of the season, assisted by Jacob Holmes and Quentin Musty.
Mississauga tied it up at 1-1 at 8:54 of the first on a goal by Zander Veccia (assists, James Hardie and Kasper Larsen).
The Pack retook the lead at 14:14 of the second period thanks to a goal by Nick DeGrazia, his 10th on the season, assisted by Dylan Robinson and Jakub Chromiak.
The Wolves held onto that 2-1 lead until 2:36 of the third, when James Hardie scored his 19th of the season for the Steelheads (assists, Finn Harding and Owen Beck) to tie the game 2-2.
But Sudbury would get out in front of Mississauga again at 6:19 of the third on a goal by David Goyette, his 21st of the season, assisted by Chromiak and Robinson, to make it 3-2 for the Wolves.
A 1:20 later, Hardie would score his second of the game to tie it up at 3-3, assisted by Larsen and Beck.
Just over a minute later, Hardie would complete his hat trick (assists, Beck and Parker Von Richter) to make it 4-3 and hand the Steelheads the win.
The Wolves are back in action again tonight at the Meridian Centre in Niagara Falls, taking on the IceDogs. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
