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.
As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children at a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The battle against hundreds of wildfires continues, as almost every jurisdiction in Canada remains under either heat or air quality warnings from the federal government. The day after what was supposed to be national Clean Air Day, dozens of alerts remain in place for unseasonable heat or smoky air quality.
Norwegian officials said the smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped parts of the U.S. and Canada in a thick haze is expected to pour into Norway on Thursday.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
The shifting winds late Thursday morning are predicted to push high levels of air pollution over the City of Barrie and surrounding areas from smoke emanating from wildfires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario.
Barrie city councillors got a shocking but not surprising reality check into the affordability challenges facing many residents looking to put a roof over their heads.
Smoke and haze from wildfires cleared over Ottawa-Gatineau on Thursday, allowing outdoor recreational programming and activities to resume. Officials warm the smoke and haze could return on Friday afternoon.
The Ottawa Real Estate Board says home sales were up six per cent in May 2023 compared to a year prior, marking the first year-over-year unit sales volume increase since early last year.
There's high levels of air pollution in Waterloo region and Wellington County as smoke plumes from wildfires burning in Quebec and northeastern Ontario continue to blow into the region, Environment Canada says.
Kitchener is hosting a series of watch parties to cheer on basketball star Jamal Murray as his Denver Nuggets take on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, police say a man entered a business on Dundas Street near Adelaide Street and once inside, tried to steal things and made threats towards employees while holding a knife.
An Ontario man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, after she was gunned down at the wheel of her car in Montreal last month.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
The man in the spotlight during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Dr. Horacio Arruda, has been appointed assistant deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
Irving Oil says it’s undertaking a “strategic review” with an eye to its future. In a release Wednesday, the company says it’s looking at a number of options, including the sale of its assets.
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
Manitoban and Vegas Golden Knight defenceman Zach Whitecloud is getting plenty of support from his hometown community while he competes for the Stanley Cup.
Calgary city council has reconsidered its decision to vote against recommendations made by an expert panel to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Police say a man on a mobility scooter has life-altering injuries after he was struck by a vehicle in a northeast Calgary intersection on Wednesday evening.
Drivers are being asked to find another way or prepare for delays on the Henday this weekend, because crews need to close a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.
The Archdiocese of Edmonton will spend $3.2 million on reconciliation initiatives with First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in the Alberta capital region.
The nondescript parking lot at the centre of debate about the future of Vancouver's historic Chinatown is unchanged in the six years since plans to build a condo tower there were shot down by the city's development permit board.
British Columbia’s beer game continues to pack a punch on the national stage, as breweries from across the province took home nearly four dozen awards at the Canadian Brewing Awards.
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
