The rookies filled the score sheet in the middle period for the Sudbury Wolves but it was a veteran stealing the show in overtime as the Wolves have won two straight at home to open the season with a 5-4 win over Barrie.
In the first match-up between the Central Division rivals, the Wolves found themselves outshot 43-27 and in the penalty box a lot.
It’s those types of games that will stress a coach out but to use a hockey cliche, two points are two points.
“We’re not going to play perfect all the time and if you can find ways to muster up two points on a performance that put us on our heels right away, like 10 minutes of kill in the first, five penalties, it’s way too much” said Matsos.
Barrie out-scored Sudbury 2-0 in the final period, including a goal by Cordell James with 3:54 left in the third.
But 18 seconds into overtime Reagan O’Grady took the puck from his own zone, went for a skate down the left side around the lone Colts defender and was able to chip it up and over Christian Propp for the win.
“Capo (Kyle Capobianco) made a good play bringing the puck back, I was told to stay back and all of a sudden Capo fed me the puck and I had a full head of steam. At the end of the day he would have covered me up, but I saw an opening and I took it and luckily it went in,” said O’Grady.
O’Grady now has two goals this season, which not only matches his total for all of last year but is as many as he had in his previous two years, in 109 OHL games.
His coach wasn’t surprised with the late goal.
“He’s a good skater so that separation speed allows you to do some nifty things.” said Matsos.
For O’Grady though it was less about the goal after the game and more about the important win.
“It’s huge, obviously coach Matsos wants us to win and especially in conference game against Barrie, against North Bay. I think that’s a big game coming back, not playing the way we wanted to but thank god we got the two points and now we move on and get ready for Kitchener Sunday,” said O’Grady.
Kyle Capobianco picked up the assist on the play, his second point of the game as it was just the start of the season that Capobianco, stitching still fresh on his jersey after being named captain, could have asked for.
In the first period Capobianco’s first shot since returning from Arizona Coyotes camp was a wrist shot right into the back of the net.
However the Wolves spent most of the first period on the penalty kill.
At least one Wolves player was in the box at least for 10 of the 20 minutes in the first.
With that Barrie held possession for most of the period and despite being outshot 20-3 the Wolves found themselves right in the game tied at 1-1.
“Puck management is everything nowadays and I thought we struggled with the puck for the better part of the game, especially in our zone. It has to be addressed, we have to be a tighter club when it comes to puck management,” said Matsos.
If the scoring flavour of the first period got the fans a little hungry, the second period was the main course.
Darian Pilon scored his second of the season on a slap shot from the left circle from a pass by David Levin.
Darian’s brother Drake was feeling a bit left out and wanted in on the scoring so he took a shot entering the zone and hustled to get his rebound which he pounced on and fired the puck top shelf.
Tyler Tucker got a goal back for the Colts on the power play.
But not long after Owen Lane was hauled down on a break-away and given a penalty shot.
The rookie looked like he has been there before as he skated towards the net, lifted his right leg, made a move straight out of NHL 17, perhaps even better, and beat the Colts goalie in the top left corner.
Lane got into one game with the Wolves last season but that was his first of his OHL career.
The youngsters continue to have a major impact on the team.
“It’s hard to put a lot on a young kids shoulders. When we first established our team goals this year, we established all these realistic goals for our guys to achieve and it was all a combination to get to a greater good and a greater goal. If our first year players can come in and put some numbers up for us, it’s going to lighten the load for some other guys that might not hit their target, so we’re trying to pull each other together here,” said Matsos.
Up 4-2 heading when the third began, a power play goal brought Barrie back.
Then you know the rest.
Jake McGrath made his first start of the season and third in his OHL career.
He stopped 39 of 43 shots.
“I thought he looked real comfortable, I thought he looked real calm in there. We put him in some positions with some good shooters that we don’t really wanna put a young guy in. He stays really even throughout the course of the game, there’s no real highs and lows and you see that in his personality and that’s a lie quality to have for a young goaltender.”
For the Wolves the Pilon twins combined for four points, while Liam Dunda picked up an assist in his first game in a Wolves uniform.
Sudbury is back at it on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Kitchener Rangers.
