Preview: Sudbury vs. Sault Ste. Marie
There are three games on the horizon for the Ontario Hockey League tonight, with intra-conference play at 7:07 p.m. as the Sudbury Wolves face off against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
• Sudbury: 10-14-0-3, #5 in Central Division – 75 GF, 94 GA, 2-6-0-2 in last ten
• SSM: 11-13-2-0, #5 in West Division – 93 GF, 108 GA, 2-6-2-0 in last ten
Tonight’s game is the third of six matchups between the two teams this season, with the Greyhounds having won the pair so far.
The teams first met October 17, which ended in a 3-1 win for the Soo. Darnell Nurse, Michael Scumacher and Nick Cousins scored in the win, with goaltender Matt Murray stopping 37 of 38 shots faced. Dominik Kahun had the lone goal for Sudbury in the game which saw both teams tally 38 shots each.
They next met on November 23, again resulting in a Soo win – this time, a 5-4 decision. Dylan Staples, Nick Halagian, and Ryan Sproul had a goal each and Jared McCann had two goals to lead the Greyhounds to a win. Goaltender Murray stopped 51 shots in the victory, while Danny Desrochers, Nicholas Baptiste, Frank Corrado and Joshua Leivo scored for the Wolves.
After tonight, they’ll meet again on December 30, January 23 and February 27.
SSM streaks & leaders: Center Nick Cousins has 37 points in 26 games, ranking ninth in the league and first on the team in that statistic. Right wingers Andrew Fritsch and Sergey Tolchinsky, and center Jared McCann, are tied for the team lead with 11 goals each. Meanwhile, defenseman Ryan Sproul is on a three-game point streak, having scored three goals and one assist since November 21.
Sudbury streaks & leaders: Left winger Joshua Leivo leads the Wolves in goals (13) and points (27). He’s also third on the team with 14 assists, behind left winger Dominik Kahun (15) and defenseman Frank Corrado (17). Defenseman Justin Sefton leads the team with a plus-6 in 26 games.
Following this evening’s game, the Erie Otters will visit the Greyhounds on Friday to close out the month, with Sudbury’s next game also coming on Friday, against the Owen Sound Attack.