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Wolves rally for OT win, playoff berth

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If the Sudbury Wolves owed netminder David Bowen a couple of goals, Brad Chenier made sure they paid up.

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In a game that saw the North Bay Battalion outwork the Wolves to the better part of two periods, only for Bowen to make a handful of big saves, Chenier scored his second of the contest to tie things up at 15:44 of the third, then set up Macauley Carson for the overtime winner in a 4-3 decision at North Bay Memorial Gardens on Wednesday night.

Owen Gilhula also scored for Sudbury, while Bowen, an affiliate callup coming off a 2-0 shutout of the league-leading Ottawa 67’s on Sunday, finished with 30 saves to keep him unbeaten this OHL season.

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The victory also clinched a playoff spot for the Wolves, who at 31-26-1-0 remained first in the Central Division, four points ahead of the second-place Barrie Colts in the race for a coveted top-two playoff seed.

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“It was not the way we wanted to start it, but we found a way to win a hockey game tonight,” said Wolves head coach Cory Stillman, reached a short time after the game.

“Halfway through the game, we only had about six shots and we started to play a little harder, playing in their zone and not turning as many pucks over, and when you do that, you’re going to create more shots and eventually, one is going to go in.”

Alex Christopoulos scored twice and Luke Moncada once, while Joe Vrbetic made 29 saves as North Bay slid to 14-39-4-0.

North Bay led almost all the way, starting when Moncada threw a puck towards Bowen’s crease from the corner and it ricocheted off Sudbury’s goalie and into his net at 5:24 of the first.

That lead stood until 8:59 of the second stanza, when Chenier found daylight between Vrbetic and a post and the overager jammed his 23rd of the year past the freshman puck-stopper.

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After a rough start for Chenier, during which his line with David Levin and Matej Pekar struggled to maintain possession, leading to severely diminished ice time for some members of that trio, the former Battalion captain made the most of his last OHL game at Memorial Gardens and showed why Sudbury made him a trade-deadline target last month.

“In a playoff game, I think he is going to be good,” Stillman said of Chenier. “And today, when we had to battle, he was very good.”

Brad Chenier, left, of the Sudbury Wolves, skates around Pacey Schlueting, of the North Bay Battalion, during OHL action at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ont. on Friday January 24, 2020.
Brad Chenier, left, of the Sudbury Wolves, skates around Pacey Schlueting, of the North Bay Battalion, during OHL action at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ont. on Friday January 24, 2020. Photo by John Lappa/Sudbury Star/Postmedia Network

North Bay didn’t make it easy, however, and Christopoulos scored on a two-on-one feed from Shane Bulitka — the player who went the other way in the Chenier trade — at 16:13 of the middle frame.

Gilhula made it even again with his 12th of the year, on a nifty tip of Emmett Serensits’ point shot, seven minutes into the third.

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Christopoulos struck once more, however, on a high, hard shot that went past Bowen and deflected off his water bottle and out, prompting the referee to wave it off initially. Action continued for quite some time, but the play was eventually reviewed and the goal stood, with an official time of 9:53.

Bowen helped the Sudbury squad stay in the game, making a huge stop on a three-on-one in the second, then another on a breakaway by Liam Arnsby and a glove save on James Mayotte in the third.

“David settled in well after that first one,” Stillman said. “He held us in the game when we were getting outshot 16-6 and down the stretch in the third, he made some big saves.”

Vrbetic was sharp, too, making a big save of his own on Chase Stillman, then another when Liam Ross went the length of the ice and split the North Bay defence for a grade-A chance.

North Bay’s goaltender had a little more trouble tracking the puck, however, when a rebound came to Chenier and he fired his 24th of the year through traffic, setting up the extra frame.

Overtime didn’t last long. After a couple of good chances for Sudbury, Chenier took a puck behind Vrbetic’s net and passed to Carson, who ripped a one-timer for his 20th of the year at 1:17.

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The Wolves will look for a third straight victory on Friday, when they host the Niagara IceDogs in a 7:05 p.m. start.

Quinton Byfield, who has missed several games with a wrist injury, may return for that contest.

“We have to have a much better start,” coach Stillman said. “We’re playing a team that will play the night before and we have to be a lot better off the hop.”

bleeson@postmedia.com

Twitter: @ben_leeson

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