If the result of the Feb. 22 game is any indication, head coach Paul Fixter has some concerns.
The Wolves gave up single goals in both the first and second periods and while Danny Desrochers was able to find the back of the Barrie Colts net in the third, the end result was a 2-1 loss.
“We didn’t play well enough to win the game tonight,” said a dejected Paul Fixter after the game sitting in the visiting coach’s office at the Barrie Molson Centre.
“Too many guys took the night off and we had too many guys who seemed not interested in playing the game tonight,” said Fixter.
“You’re not going to win games like that and it’s frustrating because in the end we only lost by one goal ... we were that close.
The Wolves had a chance to get back in the game late in the second period when Colts forward Garrett Hooey received a four minute penalty for high sticking. However, the power-play was disrupted just a minute in when the Wolves Connor Crisp got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That didn't sit well with Fixter, who limited Crisp's ice-time in the third period.
Saturday’s game also saw the much anticipated-return of Brody Silk to the Wolves' lineup. He made his season debut after returning from a shoulder injury suffered during the Wolves visit to Russia in August.
“It was tough at first getting the lungs and legs under you,” said Silk, after his first game action in five-plus months. “It felt good to be back, but I wish it could have come with a win.”
Silk said he doesn’t think it will take too long to get back in game shape, allowing him to become a contributor to the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“Definitely ... even in the second and third periods I felt a lot better and a lot more confident,” he said.
Silk played on a line with Mathew Campagna and Matt Schmalz.
With the loss, the Wolves record drops to 30-18-3-6, but they hold on to first place in the Central Division, thanks to the Niagara Ice Dogs' 4-1 win over the North Bay Battalion.
The Wolves lead the Battalion by a single, but they do have two games in hand.
The loss also saw the Wolves' two-game road winning streak come to end as their record away from the Sudbury Arena drops back to the .500 mark at 12-12-3-4.
The Wolves will be busy over the next week or so. The Feb. 22 game was just the first in a long stretch of games that will see them play six times in eight nights.
It continues Sunday afternoon with the back end of the home and home series with Barrie followed by five straight home games.
Erie is in town Monday night followed by the Soo Greyhounds Wednesday, Guelph on Friday and the Niagara Ice Dogs next Saturday.
Game Notes:
- Wolves Scratches: Kyle Capobianco (healthy), David Zeppieri (healthy) and Nathan Pancel (upper body)
- The Wolves lost Conor Cummins to injury. He is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury,
- The Wolves out-shot Barrie 31-28,
- Sudbury's power-play was 0-3 while the Colts went 1-3.
- 3 Stars: (1) Daniel Gibl (BAR) (2) Andreas Athanasiou (BAR) (3) Aaron Ekblad (BAR).
