Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Sabrina Byrnes
Sudbury Wolves coach and general manager Mike Foligno said he won't change the team's strategy going into the playoffs.
The Wolves secured the eighth and final playoff spot over the
weekend after the Oshawa Generals were defeated by the Brampton
Battalion in a shootout.
"I don't think we're going to change too much. We're not a team that's going to be changing the way we play or how we do things...we've outshot the last three teams we've played against," he said.
"Five on five we've done a great job, our power play won the game against Niagara Falls with three goals....our leaders are starting to do a good job with the leadership part of the game and our young kids are really playing well."
The Wolves battled against the Belleville Bulls Friday night
during the team's last home game of the season, but were
defeated 5-2 in front of their fans. They rebounded Saturday
night as they travelled to Niagara to take on the IceDogs and
came away with a 3-2 victory.
The pack then travelled to Mississauga, where they faced the St. Michael's Majors on Sunday, but came up short with a 3-4 loss in overtime.
"I think we knew we needed another point or two and depending what happened with Oshawa, but obviously we were thrilled to get a nice win in Niagara," said Foligno.
"Obviously the positive feelings you get from something like that, and actually the whole the weekend because I thought we played very hard against Belleville as well. We outshot all three teams this weekend and had a real strong game against Mississauga, being the third game in two and a half days. It's always a tough game, but our players played with a lot of heart."
The Wolves earned three points after their road games, but their fate wasn't decided until Brampton scored in a shootout during their matchup against Oshawa the same afternoon.
"Oshawa was out, we were in," said Foligno. "There was a lot of happy people in that dressing room for sure."
If Oshawa would have been victorious over the Battalion, the Wolves and the Generals would have played a tie-breaker game for the last spot.
Foligno said he's very happy that his players will be able to experience playing in the playoffs.
"We're thankful, we're happy, we're overjoyed. I'm really proud of the players because this is a great opportunity. Both young and older players it's a great opportunity for them to experience the post season and that's something that players need to experience to get better and to get stronger and for it to benefit us as we go forward."
Heading into the first round of playoffs, the Wolves will be up against the Belleville Bulls who finished the regular season in first place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Wolves goalie Andrew Loverock was back in net last weekend after nursing an injury, and gave the team confidence according to Foligno.
"I think the maturity level and the skill level that he plays with, I think just reassured everybody and he was pretty solid for us for the three games and really played well. With any good hockey team you need good goaltending to help the cause. We think he's played very well for us giving our young forwards and defense a break every now and then, when we do make a mistake he's there for us and that's really important to feel confident about that."
The Wolves netminder said it was definitely a big weekend for the team. He said he knows they're going to have to work hard against Belleville, but that the team has done well going up against some of the better teams in the league, and they just have to work hard and play like they did on the weekend. He's ready for Wednesday night's match up.
"Playoffs are definitely the most exciting part of the year, so always have to be pumped up and ready to go," said Loverock.
Captain John Kurtz shares the excitement of entering the playoffs.
"I'm very happy right now, couldn't be happier that we clinched that last playoff spot," Kurtz said.
"It was a big test for us going on the road, we needed a few points to make sure we made it into the playoffs and we came together as a team and made it happen."
Kurtz said it was a very overwhelming experience waiting for the final verdict of the outcome of Oshawa's matchup.
"It was very exciting and it was an experience I'll never forget," he said.
"I was just overwhelmed with emotions, luckily it was happier emotions at the end of the day."
Kurtz said overall the season has seen its shares of ups and downs. He said they got off to a good start, but faltered near the end of the season. He said hopefully the team can get back to where they were at the start of season as they roll into the playoffs.
Bulls goaltender Mike Murphy is currently the leading goaltender in the league.
"We're well aware that Murphy, he's a good goaltender so we got to try and get into his head and get him off his game," Kurtz said.
He said one of the key things that will lead to their success is outshooting their opponents.
"The last three games were the first time we outshot our opponents in a long time. It gives our team a lot better chance to win when we're outshooting them."
Foligno said the weekend gave the team a good boost of confidence, and they need to carry this confidence forward to play well against Belleville.
The Wolves and Bulls have met up four times during the regular season with the Wolves being victorious after their first matchup. The Bulls have come away with a win the next three games after that.
"I know that they're a powerhouse, I know they're a strong team, but we have a way of rising to the occasion and I think our team is a team that can be a very dangerous team with any opponent that we've played," Foligno said.
"We've beaten Belleville before, we've given Windsor a great run for their money as well in their rink, and I think that we just have to realize it's going to take everybody being on the same page and everybody going in there and playing with their heart and their minds and their skill and just staying with the program."
Kurtz has high hopes going into the playoffs.
"First, knock off Belleville, and then we'll go from there," the captain said confidently.
The Wolves will travel to Belleville Wednesday night to play the first round of the playoff series. Thursday night the Wolves will remain in Belleville for game two before returning home to the Sudbury Arena Sunday night for game three.
Game time is 7 p.m. The Wolves will play the fourth game in the series on Tuesday, March 24 on home ice. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
