Lady Wolves now alone in top spot at Esso Cup

The victory, which brings the Lady Wolves record to 4-1-0-0, secured first place for the team, garnering a semi-final berth today versus the Central Plains Capitals, the only team to beat the Northern Ontario crew in round robin play.

Eliminated from playoff contention with the loss, the Thunder actually opened the scoring when Alison Barnett pulled the trigger at the 10:16 mark of the first, with Ranger shutting the door for Sudbury through the remaining 50 minutes.

One of three teams making a second straight appearance at the Esso Cup nationals, Edmonton walked away with silver medals in 2014 in Stoney Creek, with the Sudbury ladies coming home with bronze.

The remaining semi-final will see the Saskatoon Stars (4-1-0) against the host Red Deer Chiefs (2-2-1-0), with the latter earning third place thanks to a 3-2 overtime win over Central Plains in the final preliminary round contest.