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.

For much of the past three to four months, the Sudbury Wolves have held down first place in the Central Division and second in the Conference - or, at the least, within a placement of two of those lofty heights.

But as the team prepares to kickoff a three in three on Friday night with just six games remaining on the schedule, they find themselves tied for fifth place at 77 points - albeit with games in hand over each of the remaining five teams that are all bunched within a spectrum of just four points in total.

No easing into this critical weekend. When the Oshawa Generals visited Sudbury on March 2nd, they were already playing some pretty good hockey, a 6-2 win over the Pack marking their fourth straight victory.

As they return this Friday, the Generals are now riding an eight game winning streak, making them the hottest team in the OHL - and the pick by many of the pundits to come out of the East.

Sudbury picked up a 7-5 win over Oshawa back in November on the road but they are far more likely to be required to show the kind of patience they did in taking a 2-2 tie into the third period versus the Generals earlier this month in a contest that had the feel of a definite post-season game.

The Wolves won four of their first five meetings this year with the Barrie Colts, falling in a shootout in the other. That said, for as much as a 7-3 Barrie triumph back on February 28th marked the first regular season victory for the Colts in this divisional rivalry, it also represents the last times these teams met.

Given all of the recent off-ice animosity between the clubs and what is at stake for the Wolves, one senses the team has every reason to hit the ice with a point to prove when the Wolves and Colts meet up for the second last time this year Saturday night at the Sadlon Arena.

If the Wolves want to duplicate their early season home ice win over the Owen Sound Attack, they will need to do it in a somewhat different manner - although the grand finale could be their tried and true weapon.

Back on October 13th in Sudbury, the local juniors were trailing the Attack 2-0 in the second period (goals by Colby Barlow and Cedrick Guindon when since-departed defenseman Djibril Toure took matters into his hands, scoring twice in the middle stanza to even the contest at 2-2, a score that remained until 60 minutes of play had elapsed.

Just 37 seconds into period # 4, Quentin Musty drilled home his first goal of the year - and first of what is now four game-winning tallies in overtime as the Wolves posted a 3-2 win.