Skip to content

Wolves head into the playoffs on a winning note

Sudbury defeats Mississauga 4-2 in regular season finale
290716_sudbury_wolves_logo2
The Sudbury Wolves defeated the Mississauga Steelheads 4-2 in their final regular season game. Sudbury will take on the Oshawa Generals in round one of the OHL playoffs. File photo.

The Sudbury Wolves entered Tuesday's make up game with the Mississauga Steelheads with a playoff spot locked down, but who they would meet in round one was still in their hands.

The Wolves earned a 4-2 victory over the Steelheads, extending their winning streak to three games and moving up to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

As a result, the Wolves will take on the third seeded Oshawa Generals in round one.

Tuesday night's contest may have been a meaningless one for the Steelheads, as they had already clinched the number two seed, but that didn't keep them from playing leading goal scorer Owen Tippett or captain Michael McLeod.

Tippett didn't factor into the game on the score sheet, though Michael McLeod and younger brother Ryan both found the back of the net for Mississauga.

The Wolves countered with a balanced attack that saw four different players pot goals. Owen Lane got the ball rolling for the Wolves less than a minute after the elder McLeod put Mississauga up 1-0.

Dmitry Sokolov scored his 48th goal of the season - good enough for second in the OHL - early in the second period to put Sudbury out front 2-1. Reagan O'Grady added his fifth of the year to extend the lead to 3-1 midway through the second period.

Ryan McLeod got one back for the home team with five minutes to go in the middle frame and the teams started the third period with the Wolves up 3-2.

Enter goalie Jake McGrath, who was stellar all night, stopping 40 of 42 shots, including all 13 in the third period. Macauley Carson reached the 30 goal plateau with an empty-netter with under two minutes to go in the game.

With the win the Wolves finish with a record of 27-34-7 for a total of 61 points. By comparison, the Wolves managed just 16 wins and 38 points a season ago.

The Wolves will kick off their post season in Oshawa on Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m. Game two goes Sunday evening in Oshawa with a 6:05 p.m. puck drop.

Sudbury will play their first home playoff contest in three years on Tuesday, March 28. Game four will be played at the Sudbury Arena on Thursday, March 30. Both games get underway at 7 p.m.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.