The Sudbury Wolves took to the ice at the Sudbury Community Arena for the first time this preseason, taking on Northern Ontario rivals the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Friday night.
Owen Leonard was the starting goaltender for the Wolves while Landon Miller got the nod in goal for the Greyhounds.
At the 2:44 mark of the opening period, Hudson Chitaroni for the Wolves scored his first goal of the preseason, assisted by Cole Wreggitt, giving the Wolves an early 1-0 lead.
Three minutes and twenty seconds later, Soo Forward Brady T Smith scored his first goal of the preseason, with the helper going to Hunter Solomon tying the game 1-1.
With 2:52 left to play in the period, and with Alex Pharand in the penalty box for Holding, the Greyhounds took a 2-1 lead with Callum Croskery’s second goal of the preseason, this one on the power play, assisted by Ryan Kaczynski and Christopher Brown, heading into the first intermission.
At the 5:13 mark of the second period, Vladimir Provorov scored his first goal in a Sudbury Wolves uniform, with the helpers going to Hudson Chitaroni and Jan Chovan, to tie the game a two goals apiece.
Nearing the halfway mark of the hockey game, Noah Laus scored his second goal of the preseason, giving the Greyhounds a 3-2 lead.
At the 11:07 mark of the middle frame, Brady T Smith scored his second goal of the game, and of the preseason, giving the Soo an insurance goal and a 4-2 lead.
With 4:30 remaining in the second period, Wolves’ veteran Chase Coughlan scored his first goal of the preseason, bringing the Wolves within a goal, making the score 4-3 with one period remaining in the hockey game.
With 9:29 remaining in the third period, and with Jordan Charron in the penalty box for the Greyhounds for Blindsiding, returning Wolves Forward Luca Blonda tied the game with his first goal of the preseason, assisted by Nathan Villeneuve and Hudson Chitaroni, making the score 4-4.
At the 14:31 mark of the final regulation period, Jan Chovan scored an unassisted goal for Sudbury, to give the Sudbury Wolves a 5-4 lead.
With 3:39 left in regulation, and with Jayden Connors for the Wolves serving a Minor Delay of Game penalty, the Greyhounds tied the game once more, while on the power play, with Christopher Brown’s second goal of the preseason, assisted by Quinn McKenzie and Jakub Winkelhofer, sending the game into a shootout.
Kieron Walton and Vladimir Provorov both scored for the Wolves in the shootout, giving the Sudbury Wolves a 6-5 shootout victory over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The Sudbury Wolves hit home ice for a preseason tilt against their other Northern Ontario rivals, the North Bay Battalion, on Friday, September 12 th , with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m.