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.

While the Sudbury Wolves and Barrie Colts are meeting for the sixth time this season Thursday night, this marks only the second encounter that will take place in Barrie – with the entire Sudbury four-game homestand already in the books, vs the Colts, for 2025-2026.

For as much as their only visit to the Sadlon Arena saw the Wolves bounced 6-2 back on November 6th, the venue itself has not proved particularly daunting in recent years. Although losing four of five in 2021-2022 was not the greatest, it should be noted that this came immediately on the heels of seven straight road wins over the Colts in a stretch that ran from December 13th (2018) to March 5th (2020).

The Wolves had not previously had that much success in a singular venue against Barrie in the previous two decades, though the team did win seven straight, either at home or on the road, in 2010-2011. Tha uncanny dominance got rolling with a 4-3 overtime win on October 21st (2010) as defenceman Josh McFadden scored the game-winner, with Mike Lomas netting a pair for Sudbury in regulation time.

On January 21st (2011), they ran their streak to seven, including five wins by a single goal as Mike Lomas, Michael Sgarbossa and Michael MacDonald lifted the Wolves to a 3-2 win on home ice.

On two separate occasions, the Sudbury Wolves have won four straight home games against the pre-cursor to the current Guelph Storm franchise. Mind you, in those days, their opponents were known as the Toronto Marlboros and the Wolves were still very much a fledgling OHL / OHA franchise.

In their second year in the league, Sudbury swept the Marlies during their visits north, racking up victories of 7-3, 3-2, 5-3 and 4-2 berween October 7th (1973) and March 23rd (1974). Those victories were led by the likes of Mike Marson, Gord McTavish, Richie Hansen, Geoff Green and Bobby Russell, all of whom recorded 70 points or more that year – and backstopped by Jim Bedard between the pipes.

Beginning on January 26th (1975) and ending on January 25th (1976), the Wolves did it all over again. beating the Toronto crew each and every time they made the trek north. Since then, the locals have come close to equalling that mark on a couple of occasions and will have the chance to do so again this coming Friday night.

In November of 2022, Nolan Collins, David Goyette, Evan Konyen, Andre Anania, Quentin Musty and Djibril Toure all light the lamp as Sudbury doubled Guelph 6-3, once again taking the northern half of this home and home set in 2023 (5-2) and 2024 (6-2).

In 168 total matchups to date between these teams, neither franchise has ever posted a road shutout – though both of done so once each at home.