BY SCOTT HADDOW
Sudbury Wolves head coach and GM wants his
players to get more out of each and every single shift in the
defensive zone.
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Akim Aliu, one of the Wolves
remaining natural right wingers, figures to see plenty
of more ice time with right wingers Matt Dias and Anton
Hedman out of the line up. |
The bench boss figures if they achieve this,
success will blossom. Foligno wants it to start tonight against
Owen Sound. Game time at the Sudbury Arena is 7:30 pm.
"We've broken down recently . . . trying
to do too much and got away from our solid defensive zone
game," said Foligno. "It has to be a constant. When you're
solid in the defensive zone, you get more chances offensively
on each shift because you get the puck out faster and be in the
offensive zone. That's the kind of hockey we need to pay
attention to to beat strong teams."
The Wolves are 6-2-0-2 in their last 10
games, but have lost two straight games(one in shoot out).
Overall team consistency has been a factor. Attitude will also
play a factor for the Wolves to get into the win column.
Sudbury will be without two key players this
weekend, and for some time. Hard shooting winger Matt Dias is
out about four weeks with an upper body injury sustained
against Peterborough from Daniel Ryder. Hedman is gone a few
weeks with a hand injury in a fight against Peterborough's
Craig Cescon. It really hurts the Wolves right flank as both
players are right wingers.
With the wounded Wolves out, the door opens
up for others to fill the void.
One player bound to eat up a lot of that ice
time is Akim Aliu, who is a natural right winger. Aliu has
shown tremendous spirit in his 12 games with the Wolves so far,
recording four goals and five points. His six-foot-three,
210-pound frame will be needed for power plays and creating
room for other players.
Tough guy Justin Allen was on the ice this
week, and could possibly be in the line up. He could still miss
a few more games though as his knee heals.
Another casualty of the Peterborough game,
who won't be in the line up Friday, is Ryan Hastings. The
six-foot-three, 212 pound defenceman was suspended five games
by the league for bullying following an altercation with a
Pete's player.
According to Wolves' head scout Oscar
Clouthier, the Peterborough player didn't want to fight and
Hastings didn't stop his attack. A five-game suspension has
been the precedent in OHL in similar situations this year he
said.
Hastings is eligible to return Feb. 19 for a
home game against the Brampton Battalion.
Fans don't have to wait long to see the
Wolves back in action as they play against Mississauga on
Saturday night for the annual Sudbury Saturday Night, sponsored
by Inco. Game time is 7 pm.
