The effort was there for the Sudbury Wolves last weekend, they just didn’t get the desired result from two out of the three games to open the season.
The Wolves went 1-2 to start the 2014-15 season, beating Niagara on home ice before dropping two hard-fought games against Belleville and Oshawa on the road.
Immediately, Sudbury head coach Paul Fixter saw one glowing thing he liked and one glaring thing he didn’t.
The players competed and played hard each game, but the offence dried up quickly after the first game. The Wolves got three goals in the win against Niagara, but only one goal against Belleville and zero against Oshawa.
Sudbury went the last five periods of the Belleville and Oshawa games without potting a goal.
“Our work ethic was outstanding,” Fixter said. “We heard it from scouts, so we know it is true. Obviously, we have to score goals. We are not scoring goals five-on-five and it is a concern.”
When the dust settled on last weekend’s action, Sudbury goalie Troy Timpano had faced the most shots and made the most saves of any goalie in the league. Timpano was busy, stopping 84 of 89 shots fired his way against Niagara and Oshawa. Timpano has a 2.50-goals-against-average and .944 save percentage. Teammate Samuel Tanguay made 36 stops against Belleville.
“You ask your goalies for quality starts, which gives you a chance to win games, and both did that in their games for us,” Fixter said.
The Wolves coaching staff wants to see the team make space and time, and create more chances on net this week when they face Sault Ste. Marie on Friday at home and North Bay on Sunday, also at home. (See below for more on the weekend match-ups).
The Wolves must continue to try and out work opposing teams, limit mistakes and find ways to put the puck in the net.
“We are playing two good hockey clubs,” Fixter said. “The Soo is a top contender in the west and we know what North Bay is capable of. They will not be easy games.”
Player Pulse:
Schmalz looks to dominate
The Wolves will be without forward Jacob Harris, who was suspended for two games for his match penalty for slew-footing against Belleville on Sept. 27. Harris is eligible to return Oct. 5 against North Bay.
Towering third-year forward Matt Schmalz hopes his start is a prelude of things to come this season — a season in which he must step up and realize his potential.
Schmalz, 6-6 and 210 pounds, picked up a goal, two points, a fight and several body checks during the opening weekend action in three games.
“Fighting isn’t my main goal going into a game,” Schmalz said. “I don’t want to hurt somebody. I know, with my size, if it comes down to fighting for my team, I will do what I have to do.
“This season, I want to play every game and be physical and score goals.”
Forward Nick Baptiste is still out week-to-week with an upper body injury.
Enemy Lines
The battle of Northern Ontario takes place this weekend as the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (Friday, 7:30 p.m.) and North Bay Battalion (Sunday, 2 p.m.) invade Sudbury Arena to take on the Wolves. It is the first meeting of the regular season between the clubs
Sault Ste. Marie
The Greyhounds opened the season with two wins last weekend over Sarnia and Niagara. They take on Saginaw on Wednesday night. Sault Ste. Marie is a favourite in the Western Conference thanks to long list of returning scorers up front. They flexed their offensive muscles against Sarnia, winning 7-3. Forward Sergey Tolchinski had one goal and five points in his first two games. Forwards Blake Speers, David Miller and Bryan Moore all put up four points each during opening weekend action.
North Bay
The Battalion took to the ice just once last week, losing 5-4 in overtime to the Barrie Colts. Veteran forward Mike Amadio scored two goals, while defenceman Kyle Wood also scored twice in the loss. The Battalion shored up the team’s forward ranks by acquiring overage grinder Ray Huether from Sudbury for a fourth-round pick in 2017. Huether was a popular player in Sudbury due to his relentless style of play, and recorded nine goals and 26 points in 68 games last season. North Bay then traded away overage forward Jamie Lewis to Windsor for three draft picks. Lewis had similar numbers to Huether last season, with eight goals and 25 points in 67 games.
