Wolves lose 3-2 in Erie

The Sudbury Wolves came close to beating the fourth ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League.

Friday night the Wolves put in their best effort on the road this season and probably deserved a better fate, but left Erie with a 3-2 loss to the Otters.

Head coach Paul Fixter had nothing but praise for team after the game.

“I’m really proud of the team,” said Fixter. “Listen, it’s not fun losing and the guys are getting frustrated, but we played with spirit, we played with determination, we had a very good compete level, we out-chanced them, we out-shot them ... we took it to one of the top teams in the country. You take the positives out of the game and there are a lot of positives out of this game.”

It was a slow start for the Wolves as the Otters scored at 2:58 in the first period, but for the rest of the game, the Wolves were the better team.

The Wolves dominated the second period, thanks to three power plays, including a five-minute advantage after Otters defenceman, and former Wolf Cory Genovese, was kicked out of the game after he hit Jacob Harris from behind. But the Wolves couldn’t capitalize on their chances and then saw the Otters take a 2-0 lead with a goal at 19:48.

The Wolves were finally rewarded when a shot from the point from defenceman Austin Clapham found the back of the net. For Clapham, it was his first OHL goal.

The Otters took a 3-1 lead at 8:22 after a lucky bounce in front of the Sudbury net, and then at 9:55 Danny Desrochers cut the lead to 3-2 with his first of the season. But despite some great chances late in the game, that was it for the scoring.

It was a career night for Austin Clapham as he also picked up an assist for his first two-point night in the OHL.

“It was a huge night. I was very proud to wear that Sudbury Wolves jersey and put up some points for the boys,” said Clapham.

“We feel very positive about how we played tonight and we are going to continue with the plan the coaches have laid out for us and hopefully things will start going our way and we’ll start putting W’s up on the board.”

Despite the good effort, the Wolves have now lost eight games in a row, and are 0-5 on the road as their season record drops to 1-8.

“I hope we get rewarded soon so the guys keep believing,”said Fixter. “They’re emptying their tanks and they’re playing hard. It’s a work in progress and we just have to keep forging ahead, believing and staying together. It’s not easy, but you keep battling and that’s what you look for in players is the battle level and tonight was very good.”

The Wolves out-shot the Otters 34-26, the first time they’ve out-shot the opposition this season.

The Wolves finish their weekend with a trip Saturday night to the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, the new home of the Niagara Ice Dogs.