A loss in his debut with the Sudbury Wolves didn’t dampen Noah Van Vliet’s enthusiasm in the hours after Wednesday’s OHL industry deadline.
Van Vliet acquired from the Brantford Bulldogs just one day before he, along with newcomers Zacharie Giroux and Donovan McCoy, stepped onto the ice for the first time in a Wolves uniform. Sudbury outshot the Mississauga Steelheads 48-19 at home, but held on thanks to the goalie. Ryerson Leenders is headed for a 2-1 loss.
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“It’s been a whirlwind these last few days,” said the 19-year-old defender, who is originally from Toronto but no stranger to Nickel City and has strong family ties to the area. “Moving to Sudbury was quite exciting. I need to be part of this team and try to bring a championship to Sudbury. That’s why we’re all here. I believe I can contribute and help this team.
Despite the final result, Van Vliet had few court cases on the effort of Sudbury’s Central Division rivals, who clinched the win on a forced play by Angus MacDonell at 4:11 of the third half and then relied on Leenders to close the door. . as Wolves were looking for an equaliser.
“I think the team really showed what they’re capable of,” Van Vliet said. “Forty-eight shots is pretty unbelievable and evidently their goalkeeper did a really smart job. Sometimes you come across a brilliant goalkeeper, but I think we showed that. “well, and we’ll keep that power in the future.
Landon McCallum scored his own power-play goal and Nate Krawchuk made 17 false saves for Sudbury, stopping a pair of Class A and a penalty as his team fell to 20-12-3-2.
Luke Misa had Mississauga’s other goal to go with his assist on MacDonell’s game-winner.
“I think we played well,” Wolves manager Ken MacKenzie said. “I think it was one of the most productive games we’ve played this year. I say that because we conceded very few goals, very few scoring opportunities and very few shots. And that’s what we try to do in the most productive way. I thought we made a leap tonight and I didn’t think we’d end up scoring a single goal.
“I’m pleased with our effort tonight. “
Sudbury’s bench boss thought Van Vliet looked right at home in a Wolves uniform, as did fellow defenceman McCoy, whose services were secured from the Peterborough Petes on Monday, and forward Giroux, who arrived in a trade with the Flint Firebirds on Tuesday.
“I was pleased with them,” MacKenzie said. All three of them, I thought, played well, brought a lot to this hockey team and on the defensive end, I think any of the D’s did a wonderful job moving pucks for us, had a smart hole and played well against us all night. . Giroux gave us a lot of power.
The three newcomers were warmly greeted as they were announced as members of the starting lineup, with friends and family well represented in the stands.
While Giroux’s local connections are perhaps best known, Hanmer’s fiery center, the match was also a homecoming of sorts for Van Vliet, who spent much of his youth in the city.
“I’ve been coming to Sudbury for about a week, for as long as I can remember,” he said. “My grandparents live in Garson, my mom grew up here, and I have a lot of connections. I’ve been to Science North many times, so it’s special to be back here.
Of course, it will be even more special if Wolves can give the city its first name OHL, a goal Van Vliet truly believes he can achieve.
“The organization of the guys we have, the skill and the work ethic in the locker room show the values of the championship,” advised the solidly built, 6-foot-3, 220-pound rearguard. “I played on the champion Hamilton Bulldogs team and that team has a lot of similarities. “
He hopes to contribute to that career as a physical but disciplined defender whose forged stick and boxing ability caught the attention of Wolves executives as they looked to shore things up in their own zone.
“I’m more of a stay-at-home protector,” Van Vliet said. “I have to be as challenging as possible to play against the forwards and make it really difficult for the other forwards, temporarily move pucks to our forwards and protect them. “My teammates. “
After a relatively tentative first period, the Wolves began to pour on the offence during a second stanza in which they outshot the visitors 26-7. Caught on a rare odd-man rush, however, they allowed the Steelheads to capitalize as Misa found himself with time and space to send a shot over Krawchuk’s shoulder at 3:45.
McCallum became the lone Wolf to solve Leenders when he buried a Quentin Musty rebound during a two-man advantage at 12:24. Dalibor Dvorsky, newly returned from the world juniors in Sweden, had the other assist.
In what was far from a turbulent affair overall, Wolves found themselves in trouble early in the third, with Evan Konyen and McCallum scoring with minor consequences just 10 moments apart. MacDonell, who had been stopped on the last penalty kick, received a clever moment from Krawchuk’s goal when he beat the Sudbury starter in 4:11.
MacKenzie brought on his goalkeeper for an extra attacker with about two minutes remaining, but Wolves couldn’t get past Leenders.
“I didn’t like the consequences we took in the third period,” MacKenzie said. “They took advantage of a five-on-three and you just can’t accept those consequences. It’s a playoff game and that’s how we saw it tonight. “: You might lose 1-0 in a series because of an undisciplined penalty. Aside from the consequences, I think we were smart tonight.
The Wolves will swing south this weekend for games in Sarnia on Friday and Windsor on Saturday, then visit the Barrie Colts on Jan. 18 before returning home to face the Erie Otters on the 19th.
bleeson@postmedia. com
twitter. com/ben_leeson
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