The 2018-19 OHL regular season wrapped up Sunday evening in Oshawa as the Wolves faced off against the Generals.
In a battle for final playoff positioning, the Wolves dropped the match-up to the Generals to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference standings and will face off against the Mississauga Steelheads in the first round of the 2019 OHL Playoffs.
Despite a lopsided 8-2 loss to the Generals to close the book on the regular season, the 2018-19 campaign was one to remember for the Wolves, who tied a franchise record for wins with 43.
Wolves goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been nothing short of spectacular this year, and has etched his name into the Wolves' record books, setting a new team record for wins in a season with 34. Luukkonen also set a new mark for shutouts in a season, recording six on the year, and tying the franchise high with former Wolves Mike Smith, Patrick Ehelechner and Franky Palazzese.
Rookie forward Quinton Byfield came as advertised, as the 2018 OHL Entry Draft first overall pick had a stellar freshman season, scoring 29 goals and adding 32 assists and led the team in points, with the exception of Adam Ruzicka who joined the team in a trade with the Sarnia Sting in January.
Second-year forward Blake Murray built off a solid rookie campaign, scoring 30 goals in his sophomore season, while adding 20 assists.
The Wolves also managed to tie a franchise record for consecutive wins on home ice, winning 12 straight games at the Sudbury Arena between Oct. 19 and Dec. 14, becoming just the third Wolves team to accomplish the feat.
The team will now look to continue their historic season, as they attempt to win their first playoff series since a 2013 first round series win over the Brampton Battalion.
The Wolves will spend the week getting ready to host the Steelheads Friday night in the opening game of the series at the Sudbury Arena. Both teams will hit the ice once again on Saturday before the series shifts to Mississauga for games three and four.
Puck drop for games one and two are set for 7:05 p.m.
The complete seven game series schedule can be found below.
- Game #1: Friday March 22 – Sudbury Arena – 7:05 p.m.
- Game #2: Saturday March 23 – Sudbury Arena – 7:05 p.m.
- Game #3: Sunday March 24 – Paramount Fine Food Centre – 7 p.m.
- Game #4: Wednesday March 27 – Paramount Fine Food Centre – 7 p.m.
- Game #5: Thursday March 28 – Sudbury Arena – 7:05 p.m.*
- Game #6: Sunday March 31 – Paramount Fine Food Centre – 2 p.m.*
- Game #7: Monday April 1 – Sudbury Arena – 7:05 p.m.*
*If necessary
Tickets for Game #1 and #2 are on-sale now at the Sudbury Arena Box Office and online at greatersudbury.ca/tickets.
