‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’ — Wolves drop opener of conference semifinal in North Bay

The Sudbury Wolves, a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), began their playoff run in the conference semifinals with a loss against the North Bay Battalion. The opening game of the best-of-seven series took place on March 25, 2023, with the Battalion hosting the contest at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The puck dropped at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Ontario Hockey League playoffs are an annual postseason tournament featuring teams from the OHL's Eastern and Western Conferences. The top eight teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, with the first and second-place teams receiving byes to the second round. The remaining teams face off in a best-of-five preliminary round series.

In this particular series, the Sudbury Wolves finished the regular season with a record of 43-22-6-5 (Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses-Shootout Losses), good for third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. The North Bay Battalion, on the other hand, finished with a record of 46-20-5-3, securing the second spot in the Eastern Conference's Central Division.

The opening game of the series did not go as planned for the Sudbury Wolves as they fell to the North Bay Battalion with a score of 4-2. The Battalion's strong performance was led by goaltender Luke Cavallin, who made 32 saves on 34 shots. The series now shifts to Game 2, which will take place on March 26, 2023, also at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The Sudbury Wolves will be looking to bounce back and even the series before heading back to Sudbury for Games 3 and 4.

The playoffs are an exciting time for hockey fans as teams battle it out for a chance to hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup, the OHL championship trophy. The winning team from the Eastern and Western Conferences will then face off against each other in the Memorial Cup tournament, which determines the Canadian Hockey League champion.

In summary, the Sudbury Wolves dropped the opening game of their conference semifinal series against the North Bay Battalion with a score of 4-2. The series is currently tied 1-0 with two games scheduled for March 26 and March 28, both in North Bay. The winner of this series will advance to the Eastern Conference final and have a chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the Memorial Cup tournament.