BY SCOTT HADDOW
Sudbury Wolves rookie Jared Staal picked the right time to score his first goal of the 2007 playoffs, and it was a big one.
Staal scored at 13:50 of the first overtime period as Sudbury defeated the Belleville Bulls 3-2 to tie the Eastern Conference Championship series at one game each.
The Wolves are now 4-0 in overtime games in the playoffs.
The overtime period was a wide-open affair with plenty of end-to-end action and many great chances for both clubs.
Staal credited his older brother, Wolves captain Marc Staal, for making a great play to keep the puck in the Belleville zone, allowing him to pot the winner.
"He kept the puck in and brought it into the middle…he gave me a pass and I tipped it," said the 16-year-old. "I got a second whack at it and it trickled in."
The younger Staal relished the opportunity to shine for his club.
"It's great to contribute to a win for sure."
The Wolves brought a more intense game to Bulls' goalie Kevin Lalande, and pressured him with 56 shots overall and a lot of heavy traffic.
"I thought the key was to get more shots…more opportunities to score," said Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno. "The guys just keep believing in themselves and playing the team game. It means a lot (to get the spilt). Tonight, we had a really good team effort."
The Wolves received a big scare in the first period when gunner Justin Donati blocked a shot off his ankle and limped off in obvious pain.
Donati didn't return to action for the rest of the game, although he took a quick skate right after the end of the third period.
Foligno remained positive about Donati's condition, and believes he'll be ready to go on Sunday for Game three in Sudbury.
"We don't yet…it's a lower leg injury," said the coach. "I'm sure Justin will be raring to go and find a way to get suited up for the next game on Sunday."
The Wolves also welcomed back centre Gary Friesen, who took the spot of forward Geoff Guimond. Friesen had been out of the lineup since March 18, but returned and won numerous key draws.
"I thought he was a real strong contributor," said Foligno. "He was really positive throughout the whole game. He gave us a nice shot of experience and adrenaline that we really needed."
A positive attitude, and fervent belief in their own abilities, is keeping the team strong.
"Everyone is believing, that's the main thing," said Staal. "We have a great mindset going out that we're going to win. That's what we're all thinking. Everyone's just working hard."
Bulls head coach and GM George Burnett, was, needless to say, less than impressed with his club's efforts.
"I'm disappointed with the final outcome," said Burnett. "We expected to play a lot better this evening. We played a perimetre game and we lacked some skating hustle and work. We're not going to be successful against a big, strong, physical club (like Sudbury) if we don't change very quickly."
