Wolves claw back to end Petes win streak
Robertson scores twice, but Wolves pull ahead on late PP goal
SUDBURY — The Peterborough Petes let a rare lead slip in the third period on Friday night.
The Sudbury Wolves improved to 10-2 on home ice and snapped the Petes’ four-game winning streak, rallying to a 3-2 win before 4,355 fans at the Sudbury Community Arena.
The Petes led 2-1 on a pair of Nick Robertson tallies after 40 minutes. It was just the second time in 12 games the Petes have failed to hold a lead after two periods.
It was probably a just result for the Wolves (16-8-1) who outshot the Petes 34-22 in picking up a third straight win. The Wolves sit second in the OHL’s Eastern Conference while the Petes (1611-0) rank fifth.
After some early pressure by the Wolves the Petes struck first on a milestone point for Semyon Der-Arguchintsev. The thirdyear centre kept the puck in the Sudbury zone and worked it to Robertson in the corner. Robertson swung out of the corner and snapped a short-side shot past six-foot-five Finnish goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 3:35. Der-Arguchintsev’s assist was his 100th carer OHL point. It was the Petes’ first shot of the game.
Sudbury had a goal disallowed when the officials signalled goaltender interference during a scramble in the Petes crease
midway through the first period.
A great individual effort by Wolves leading scorer and former first overall OHL draft pick David Levin helped set up a tying goal with 4:31 left in the first. Levin started in his own zone and evaded checks in the neutral zone and as he entered the Petes end before filtering a pass to defenceman Liam Ross who had jumped into the rush to put a shot past Hunter Jones making his 25th start in 28 games.
The Wolves roared out to start the second period firing seven shots on Jones in the opening two minutes. The Petes netminder stopped all seven including a brilliant glove grab off a shot deflected in front by 2018 first overall draft pick Quinton Byfield. Jones stopped 15 second period shots.
Again the Petes survived the early storm to score the period’s first goal and again it was Robertson, this time on their second shot of the period, doing the damage. Adrien Beraldo fired a shot that went over the Wolves net and bounced off the glass and back in front where Robertson pounded it home. Der-Arguchintsev assisted once again.
Since being benched Nov. 17 for a -5 effort in Sarnia, Der-Arguchintsev has eight points and is a +10 in five games.
It coincides with Robertson’s return to his line, after being out with a wrist injury, along with Adam Timleck.
Robertson has six goals, nine points and is a +7 in those five games. Declan Chisholm has eight points and is a +9 in the same span.
Robertson came close to a hat trick late in the second. DerArguchintsev fired a shot wide that came to Robertson but Luukkonen robbed him on the shot.
A pinching Wolves defender again tied the game 5:23 into the third period. Byfield sent Cole Candella down the wing with the puck and Peter Stratis moved in off the point to convert his crossice pass.
The Wolves took the lead for the first time on a four-on-three power play 11:37 into the third. Macauley Carson capped off a three-way passing play from Byfield and Levin. Carson was playing in his 200th OHL game.
The Petes are off until Thursday when they host the Hamilton Bulldogs on Teddy Bear Toss Night at the Memorial Centre at 7:05.
NOTES: Sudbury native Marco Lizotte served as linesman for Friday’s game his first assignment to a Petes’ game. He is the brother of former Petes defenceman Cameron Lizotte… The Petes iced the same lineup as Thursday’s 4-1 win over the North Bay Battalion… Rob Snoek’s three stars were 1. David Levin (S); 2. Nick Robertson (P); 3. Quinton Byfield (S). The official three stars were 1. David
Levin (S) 2. Macauley Carson (S); 3. Peter Stratis (S)… The hardest working Pete was Cole Fraser.