Battalion, Wolves begin OHL playoff journey
The final week of regular season play was a good one for the Sudbury Wolves, who managed to pull out a fifth-place finish on the last day, despite the talk of a possible playoff date with their Highway 17 rivals in North Bay.
The Wolves are playing Peterborough, losing Game 1 on Thursday. However, coach Derek MacKenzie said he believes it’s a series his team can win.
"We've talked about it all year,” MacKenzie said.
“Our team has kind of had its back up against the wall. We've needed to, you know, put a lot of wins together to put ourselves in a situation that we're in now."
Good goaltending is a must-have in the post-season, and in the past few weeks, MacKenzie said he wasn't fearful of starting either young Nate Krawchuk or overager Kevyn Brassard between the pipes.
“I've got faith in both those guys,” he said.
“They are both hard workers ... they've really gone back and forth here down the stretch.”
MacKenzie said he is banking on that winning trend to continue against a team the Wolves beat three out of four times this season.
Sudbury fans will see the Wolves at home next Tuesday and Wednesday.
BATTALION VS STEELHEADS
In North Bay, the Battalion play Mississauga in a series fans didn't see coming.
After the Steelheads dropped all three of their games last weekend, they placed seventh in the overall standings and now play a team that's geared up for the playoffs.
While North Bay won four of six games against Mississauga, coach Ryan Oulahen said the Steelheads can't be taken lightly.
"We know the difficulties that they can bring to us, so that's a thing that we've been addressing with our guys,” Oulahen said.
“They just play a style and a way that sometimes is frustrating to play against -- and they do a really good job. They are really well structured, they play aggressive and they've got some big defenceman that can defend really well".
Battalion defenceman Ty Nelson, who is coming off a stellar regular season, says he's "playoff ready."
“Going into the playoffs is the same that it’s been all year, and that's our plan,” said Nelson.
“We're keeping our weekly routine the exact same, we're doing everything that we've done all year, the exact same. We're just treating it like it's another week, and it's another game.”
The Battalion will be back on the ice Sunday in Game 2 of the series. Many expect this one to be over quickly in North Bay's favour.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadians are eyeing moves to these cities for more affordable housing
Faced with elevated housing prices, half of Canadians in the country's largest cities are considering moving to places with more affordable housing.
Poilievre says Canadians 'fleeing' to Nicaragua, Liberals say it shows he 'doesn't have a clue'
Liberal parliamentarians are criticizing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over a new video in which he promotes the idea that some Canadians are 'fleeing' Canada to live in Nicaragua because they can't afford a house in this country.
With DNA break, police ID victim in decades-old Newfoundland case
A skull was found along a backroad near St. John's more than 20 years ago. Now, police have finally identified the victim of the homicide.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
McDonald's says $18 Big Mac meal was an 'exception' and their prices haven't risen that much
McDonald’s is fighting back against viral tweets and media reports that it says have exaggerated its price increases.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing plan defeated in House of Commons
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's housing bill has been defeated in the House of Commons with the Liberals, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois voting against the legislation.
B.C. man to be extradited to U.S. on charges of sexually assaulting stepdaughter
A British Columbia man will be extradited to the United States, where he faces a possible life sentence if convicted of charges that he repeatedly sexually assaulted his stepdaughter, after losing his appeal of the extradition order Tuesday.