With only four points separating the two teams, and with the Wolves having won the two previous games against the IceDogs in shootouts, Saturday night’s game in St. Catharines versus Sudbury is sure to be another close contest.  Both teams are coming off blowout wins over the Erie, with Niagara shutting out the Otters 7-0 on Thursday night and Sudbury skating to a decisive 7-2 victory.

The Wolves got a boost on Friday as their leading scorer Michael Sgarbossa (20-18-38), returned to the lineup, and scored twice, after being sidelined with a leg injury.  The San Jose Sharks prospect, who was an integral part of the Wolves’ eight-game playoff run last season with 14 points, attended Team Canada’s development camp this summer in Alberta but was not invited to their selection camp.

The Wolves’ other Sharks’ prospect, Justin Sefton also returned to the lineup following a lower-body injury.  The third-year defenceman is the team’s most penalized player with 70 penalty minutes.

Another bruiser likely to be in Sudbury’s lineup is recently-acquired left winger Chad Thibodeau, coming over from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.  Expected to bring grit, according to head coach Trent Cull, Thibodeau has no points in four games played for Sudbury but has already amassed 17 penalty minutes.

After beginning the season as Johan Mattsson’s backup, Joel Vienneau is putting up a good fight for the starting goaltender position.  The rookie was awarded the CHL’s Goaltender of the Week two weeks ago and in eight games played, Vienneau has a 1.91 goals against average and his save percentage is .935.  Now, with Mattsson guarding Team Sweden’s net for the World Junior Championships, the opportunity for Vienneau to step in and steal the starting spot is available.  

This is particularly rewarding for Vienneau, who had a rough start to his junior career before landing in Sudbury.  After leading the OJHL Kingston Voyageurs to the league finals in 2010, his next stop was Muskegon, Michigan, where he was signed by the team’s USHL team, the Lumberjacks, with the intention of playing for the University of Minnesota.  But his commitment was pulled by the University in early 2011 and this summer, he was released by the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL because, according to the team, he didn’t “fulfill his commitments.”