As part of my role as team statistician for the Sudbury Wolves, my job description includes the preparation of weekly media notes, featuring various tidbits of information regarding upcoming games.

While these notes have generally been confined to circulating among media types and club officials, it seemed likely that fans of the local OHL team might also have an interest in the odds and ends that I might come across on a weekly basis.

ANOTHER THREE IN THREE IN THE ROAD – AND THE SECOND OF THREE THIS YEAR
A busy weekend on the road lies ahead for the Sudbury Wolves, playing three games in less than 48 hours for the second time this year – with one more such stretch still lying ahead, leading into the Christmas break. That said, their first such road trip this year was not at all bad, blanking the Peterborough Petes 4-0 (Oct 5th), bouncing the Kingston Frontenacs the next night (5-2) but running out of gas Saturday afternoon versus the Ottawa 67’s, losing 5-2.

NO NEED TO CHANGE MUCH OF ANYTHING
After dominating much of their 3-1 win over the Niagara Ice Dogs last Friday in a game that remained close only due to a 42-save performance from visiting goaltender Marcus Vandenberg, the Wolves are unlikely to change much of the game plan in the rematch in St Catharines Thursday night.

The Ice Dogs remain one of the few teams in the OHL against whom Sudbury has maintained a winning record on the road, boasting a mark of 37-27-1-3-4 heading into this contest. Ironically, the Wolves record at home versus Niagara is near identical, now at 39-26-2-4-3 following their most recent win.

ERIE NOW MOVING IN THE “OTTER” DIRECTION
After opening their 2023-2024 season with four straight losses, the Erie Otters have apparently righted the ship, back to the .500 mark (7-7-2-0) thanks to three straight wins on the road: 6-5 vs Saginaw; 4-3 vs Flint (S/O); 5-3 vs Sarnia. With North Bay product Ben Gaudreau now backstopping the Otters, the Pennsylvania crew have turned to the likes of Martin Misiak (2nd round pick of Chicago Blackhawks), Pano Fimis (taken second overall in 2020 OHL draft) and Carey Terrance (2nd round pick of Anaheim Ducks) to show the way offensively.

BRANTFORD IS BACK – AND BUILDING
While the return of OHL hockey to Brantford was no doubt met with a great deal of excitement, early signs suggest there will be some patience needed within the new fan base as the Bulldogs look to move forward with the likes of Nick Lardis (2005 – 2021 OHL 1st rounder) and Marek Vanacker (2006 – 2022 OHL 1st rounder) and 2023 1st rounder Jake O'Brien.

While it may have been difficult to read much into a season opening 6-2 Brantford loss as the Wolves christened 2023-2024 at the Sudbury Arena on September 29th, the fact remains that the Bulldogs sit in last place in the East Division (4-7-2-1) and have lost four straight – though that might change as they play host to Niagara on Friday night.