Darian Pilon scored twice and the Sudbury Wolves shut down the top talent of the Mississauga Steelheads beating them 3-2.
“We played our game pretty much,” said Pilon. “We play that way every game nobody can touch us.”
The Wolves came into the game in a three-way tie with Mississauga and Niagara for the Central Division lead with 30 points.
“We know a win or a loss moves you up or down,” said Head Coach Cory Stillman. “The Eastern Conference is very tight and when you play head-to-head you need to win your hockey games.”
With a Niagara loss on Saturday, Sudbury takes the division lead and slide into second place in the Eastern Conference. The Pack and the Steelheads also met in Mississauga on Nov. 18, a 5-3 win for the Steelheads, so it was payback for the Wolves.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was once again trusted with the Sudbury net and came up big stopping 39 of 41 shots. A nice pick-me-up for for the goalie who gave up six goals on Wednesday against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
“He had a tough night in the Soo, but I think it was more us than him,” said Stillman. “I didn’t remove him from the game because of the way he had played. It was a change of the game, a boost for our team, but Ukko gives us a chance every night. We’d like to limit his shots to 25 — it gives us a better chance — but when counted upon to make a big save, he’s been there all year.”
Last year it was finding ways to lose for Sudbury, particularly in one goal games. But this one looked very different from the comeback 3-2 shootout win on Friday against Saginaw.
Sudbury had to hold off a charge by the Steelheads, who pulled their goalie late in the game trying to tie.
The Wolves put up 16 shots in the first period, a night after getting 26 shots total against the Spirit.
David Levin got the scoring started with a backhand beauty past goalie Jacob Ingham. It was Levin’s 12th of the season with assists coming to Isaak Phillips and Emmett Serensits.
Just 26 seconds later, Darian Pilon put home his fifth of the season off a nice feed from Macauley Carson. Pilon grabbed the pass in front of the net and went over top of Ingham.
Neither team scored in the second period.
The Sudbury Wolves found themselves down two men after a cross-checking penalty and bench minor early in the third.
Steelheads forward Owen Tippett, the Florida Panthers first round draft pick, scored eight seconds into the power play to cut the lead in half 2-1.
Sudbury continued to press the Steelheads, generating offensive chances in the third, playing aggressively with the lead. This aggression led to Darian Pilon extending the lead back up to two goals with a very nice wrist shot top corner for his second of the game.
Macauley Carson assisted on both his goals with his brother Drake picking up a marker on the first to make up what was supported to be the shutdown line for the Wolves.
“We just go out there and try to not let that top line score and being able to just put a couple in, help the boys win, that really helps, really shuts down their offensive line. Makes them think defence instead of offence so that helps,” said Pilon.
Tippett scored his second of the game with the Steelheads net empty and just under a minute to play in the third.
“You can see what Owen Tippett can do when he turns it on. He can play, he can shoot, he can score, so if he can play in his own zone it makes for a long night,” Stillman said. “A player like that only needs one opportunity to score and if you give him two or three he’s definitely going to beat you.”
Sudbury shut it down from there and pulled out the big 2-0 weekend.
It won’t be long before the two teams see each other again, Mississauga is in town again next weekend which is part of six straight home games for Sudbury.
First up will be the Peterborough Petes who are in Sudbury on Friday.
Nick Liard covers the Sudbury Wolves and the Sudbury Five for Sudbury.com, provides game commentary for the Wolves on Eastlink, and serves as news director at 92.7 Rock and Kiss 105.3.
