Wolves backed into corner
Their backs are up against the wall and there is no guarantee of tomorrow if they do not come out playing their very best hockey tonight.
Sudbury Wolves seem to have gotten away from their very best in the last two games, both of which have been Ontario Hockey League playoff losses to the Oshawa Generals.
Thursday’s game in Sudbury was an undisciplined display of hockey by the Wolves.
It’s playoff hockey, there is no doubt. It’s fueled by emotion but when that emotion takes over because the other team is getting under your skin, knowing you tend to boil over a little quicker than most, we’ve got a problem.
Friday in Oshawa, I had the opportunity to sit in a suite with Kirk and Jackie Dick, owner’s of Rodman’s Heating, who are community builders in every sense of the word. (Even wearing my Wolves pullover, they still welcomed me in with open arms.)
Watching the Wolves take the ice in Oshawa, there was definitely something missing, right from the outset. Fatigue, from the night before, followed by late night bus trip to Oshawa, looked like it was taking its toll.
At any rate, the Wolves take to home ice tonight at 7:00 trailing the Generals three games to two in the opening-round, Eastern Conference series.
Wolves win tonight, they tie the series and head back to Oshawa for Game 7 on Tuesday. Wolves lose, they pack up the locker room and head home for too long of a summer and trust me, no one wants that scenario.
No matter what, the Wolves will be without suspended forward Michael Pezzetta. (See related story by Randy Russon posted above.)
It’s a blow to the team, with Pezzetta logging big minutes, but the Wolves will have to find a way to win without him.