The Sudbury Wolves hit the ice for the home opener of the 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League season, hoping to send 4,314 fans home happy as they took on division rival the Barrie Colts.
Sam Hillebrandt was the starting goaltender for Barrie while Sudbury went with returning veteran Nate Krawchuk between the pipes.
Hours before the game, the Wolves named Donovan McCoy as team captain for the season.
The first period was a chippy affair with four penalties, including a five-minute major and game misconduct to Sudbury’s Daks Klinkhammer, and plenty of scoring chances for both teams, but both Hillebrandt and Krawchuk came up big in goal for their respective teams and after the first 20 minutes of play the score remained 0-0.
Exactly 5:30 into the second period, Chase Coughlan scored his first goal of the season for the Wolves for the first goal of the game, giving Sudbury a 1-0 lead over Barrie.
Despite numerous high-quality scoring chances for both teams and fast paced back and forth action, the next goal of the game wasn’t scored until 4:50 to go in the middle frame, when Kashawn Aitcheson scored his first goal of the season, tying the game for Barrie 1-1.
Just over two minutes later, Carter Lowe scored his first marker of the season, giving the Colts a 2-1 lead heading into the second intermission with one period left to play.
The Colts carried the play in the third, out-shooting the Wolves 10-4 in the period, but only managed to score one goal, as Evan Passmore scored his first goal of the season, giving the Barrie Colts a 3-1 lead.
That would be all Barrie would need on this night, as they secured a road win over the Sudbury Wolves by a score of 3-1.
With the loss, the Sudbury Wolves hold a record of 0 wins and 1 loss on the season.
The Wolves get right back at it on Saturday night, as they hit the road to take on their Northern Ontario rivals, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, in the Soo, with puck drop scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
