Sudbury Wolves goaltender Sam Tanguay made a statement in Kitchener on Wednesday night as the Quebec native stopped all 48 shots he faced and led the Wolves to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Rangers.
Tanguay, 19, was a free agent invite to the Wolves' main camp, and the young goaltender continues to show improvement during the pre-season schedule. Tanguay was especially sharp in the second period when the Rangers rifled 25 shots at the Wolves' goaltender, on the strength of four power plays.
The Wolves struck first in this game as veteran defenceman Jeff Corbett scored the eventual game winner on the power play at the 43-second mark of the opening frame. Trenton Bourque and Nathan Pancel assisted on the power-play marker.
Shots on goal in the first period finished 8-4 in favour of the Rangers.
The Wolves ran into penalty trouble in the second period, but the Wolves made the most of their offensive chances and scored again on the power play at the 12-minute mark of the middle frame.
Ivan Kashtanov scored his second power-play goal in as many games as the 17-year-old rookie from Russia continues to impress with his offensive skill. Kyle Capobianco and Devon Paliani assisted on the power-play goal.
The Wolves made it 3-0 with less than five minutes to play in the second period when Jacob Harris made a great offensive dash and used his speed to beat a Ranger defenceman wide before wrapping the puck into the open net.
Harris, 19, continues to raise the level of his game and the Georgetown native is showing improved offensive skill. David Zeppieri picked up the lone assist on Harris' goal.
The Wolves played a solid third period, and, despite allowing the frustrated Rangers 15 additional shots on goal, Tanguay and the Wolves sealed the deal with a scoreless period. The Wolves finished the contest 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Wolves and Tanguay killed off all six Ranger power plays.
With the win, the Wolves enter the regular season on a two-game winning streak and confidence in their ability to win at home and on the road.
Young Wolves players that continue to shine include Capobianco and Bourque on the blue-line while Michael Pezzetta, Kashtanov, Zeppieri and Brady Pataki continue to show offensive improvement.
The Wolves finished the pre-season exhibition schedule with a three-win, four-loss record. The Wolves dropped their first 3 pre-season games before winning three of their last four games.
Tanguay earned the first star of the game and solidified his status on the Wolves roster.
The Wolves were without the services of Nick Baptiste, Brody Silk, Matt Schmalz, Pavel Jenys and Evan deHaan.
Jenys continues his strong play at the Minnesota Wild's NHL camp and his return date remains up in the air.
The Wolves will now prepare for their home opener on Friday, Sept. 26 when the Niagara IceDogs come to town.
