BY JASON THOMPSON
The Sudbury Wolves won their third game in a
row and nabbed two crucial points over the up-tempo Sault Ste
Marie Greyhounds Tuesday night at the Sudbury Arena, sealing
their 5-4 victory with stellar third period play.
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Trailing by a pair of goals during both the
first and second periods, the WolvesÂ' kept pace with the Sault
by playing a rough and tumble game. Although their physical
play earned them a dozen trips to the penalty box, the WolvesÂ'
penalty killers played tremendous defence.
With 11 minutes remaining in the third,
WolvesÂ' forward Mike Mills slapped the game-winning goal past
GreyhoundsÂ' goaltender Kyle Gajewski, breaking the 4-4
tie.
Â"ItÂ's a big goal for myself and for the
team,Â" said Mills, talking about the game-winning goal he
scored, his first of the season.
Â"IÂ'm glad to get it,Â" Mills said of his
first goal. Â"IÂ've been working hard and getting my chances
but havenÂ't been able to capitalize.Â"
On the other end, WolvesÂ' tender Kevin Beech
shutdown the Greyhounds attack in the final frame, stopping 10
shots. Beech stopped 27 of 31 shots on the night.
With their goalie pulled for extra attacker,
and two WolvesÂ' players in the penalty box, Beech made clutch
saves while the GreyhoundsÂ' desperately tried to force
overtime in the final minute.
Â"(Beech) has been playing amazing the last
three or four games, heÂ's really picked up his game,Â" said
Mills. Â"At the start of the season he was struggling a bit but
heÂ's been working hard and doing what he has to do for the
team.Â"
WolvesÂ' head coach and general manager Mike
Foligno was happy with the way role players and leaders on his
team stepped up their game to capture the win,
Â"When youÂ're down by a couple goals the
true team colours really show up,Â" said Foligno.
Â"I think we sat on heels a little to much in
the first period . . . (Sault Ste. Marie) is probably one of
the hardest skating teams weÂ've seen in a few games and we
responded well as the game wore on.Â"
In the end, it was SudburyÂ's power play that
made the difference, scoring three goals on 12 opportunities
with the man advantage. The WolvesÂ' record improves to 5-5-0-1
with the win.
Although both teams played a physical game,
only one fight broke out when Swedish import Anton Hedman
dropped GreyhoundsÂ' winger Andrew Shennan with hard-hitting
punches.
Â"Anton Hedman is a physical player, and a
lot of teams donÂ't know how strong this guy really is,Â" said
Foligno. Â"He made light work of Shennan, even though Shennan
is a pretty tough kid.Â"
"I just got to make sure people
don't come running at me . . . I got to do what I have to
do," said Hedman after he game. "Fighting is
fun."
The Wolves are back in action on Friday, Oct.
21. when they host Brampton. Game time is 7:30 pm
The Wolves also play on Sunday, when they
host Sarnia. Game time is 2 pm.
