The Sudbury Wolves found themselves back on home ice on Friday night against one of their Northern Ontario rivals, in another battle of the dogs, against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Finn Marshall got the start in goal for the Sudbury Wolves while Landon Miller was stationed between the pipes for the Soo Greyhounds.
The Wolves outshot the Greyhounds by a margin of 10-8 in the opening period, but neither team could put the puck in the net, sending the teams to the dressing room in a scoreless tie for the first intermission.
Just forty seconds into the second, the Soo took a 1-0 lead with a goal from Travis Hayes, his fifth of the season, assisted by Jakub Winkelhofer and Marco Mignosa.
Just under seven and a half minutes into the middle frame, Jordan Charron continued his tear early in the season with his 10th goal of the season, assisted by Christopher Brown and Chase Reid, giving the Greyhounds some insurance in the form of a 2-0 lead.
With 10:01 remaining in the second period, Blake Clayton put the puck behind Miller for his third goal of the season, assisted by Rowan Henderson and Alex Pharand, giving the Wolves their first goal of the game and cutting the Hounds’ lead to 2-1.
Under one minute later, Wolves forward and Winnipeg Jets prospect Kieron Walton scored his fourth goal of the season, with the assists going to Artem Gonchar and captain Nathan Villeneuve, tying the game at 2-2.
At the 13:30 mark of the second, Wolves defenseman Gavin Ewles scored his first goal of the assists, with Alex Pharand and Nathan Villeneuve picking up the assists, giving the Wolves their first lead of the hockey game by a score of 3-2, with one period remaining in the game.
The only goal of the third period came with 11:26 left to play, when Wolves captain and Seattle Kraken prospect Nathan Villeneuve scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Kieron Walton and Luca Blonda, sealing a 2-1 victory, the Wolves’ first home victory of the season.
With the win, the Sudbury Wolves now hold a record of two wins, seven regulation losses, and one overtime loss on the season.
The Sudbury Wolves and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds will face each other on the back end of a home and home series in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, Oct. 18, with puck drop scheduled for 7:07 p.m.