WOLVES RALLY FOR BIG WIN

VIC 3
THU 6
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Thunder Bay, ON- The Thunder Bay Timberwolves had two days off after their 2-1 loss in Calgary to think about what needed to change against the Victoria Ronin on Wednesday.
>>>"We had a players only meeting yesterday to iron some things out," said captain, Keith Ballard. "We'll keep what was said in house. But basically we all know we have to be more consistent from game to game. This is a tight group of guys here. Translating it out on the ice should not be as big as of an issue as it has been."
>>>The Ronin came to Thunder Bay as a team that maybe has not lived up to the expectations put upon them.
>>>"They've kind of been in the same boat as us this season," said Timberwolves head coach, Craig Hartsburg. "We knew going in it was going to be two very evenly matched clubs going at it.
>>>Jordan Staal, and Thunder Bay-native, opened up the scoring in the first period off of some fancy stickwork from Ryan Getzlaf and Martin Havlat.
>>>Five minutes later, Dustin Penner doubled up the score for Victoria for his fourth of the season from rookie, Patrik Berglund and Jay Bouwmeester.
>>>Things were not looking good for the Timberwolves. That was until Patrick Sharp scored sixty-four seconds after Penner to pull Thunder Bay within one. This was Sharp's first goal since being injured in November.
>>>But the punch in the gut came on the very next shift from Victoria, with a beautiful goal coming off the stick of Jere Lehtinen, fifteen seconds after Sharp's.
>>>Something needed to happen for the Timberwolves before they were taken out of this game early.
>>>That something came off of the fists of Sheldon Souray (pictured). Having battled the Getzlaf line throughout the first, Souray and the Timberwolves were getting a little tired of the after-whistle liberties being taken around their goaltender, Jonas Hiller. Finally having enough, Souray dropped the mitts with a willing Getzlaf and proceded to pummel the Ronin forward. A decisive fight that took the Timberwolves into the dressing room with something to build on.
>>>"Sheldon did what he had to do," said Bryan McCabe. "They'd been buzzing our goalie every shift and snuck in a couple goals there that Jonas couldn't see."
>>>The second period was all Thunder Bay.
>>>Sophomore forward, David Perron took a feed from Nick Schultz and Ales Hemsky in on Michael Leighton. Beating the Ronin 'tender five-hole.
>>>Marian Gaborik tied things up with his twenty-fourth of the season from Ballard and Marc Savard.
>>>"The Souray fight in the first was big for us for sure," said Schultz. "It completely lifted the spirits of everyone on that bench.
>>>In the third, the Timberwolves dominated and took it to the Ronin.
>>>At 3:58, Sharp would score is second of the game from Gaborik and Souray.
>>>Twenty-two seconds later and on the powerplay, McCabe blasted a shot from the point after Souray faked a cannon of his own before giving it to the St. Catherine's native.
>>>The icing of the cake came at the eight minute mark, when Souray took his patented shot from the point, beating the Ronin netminder just under his glove. Completing the "Gordie Howe Hattrick" for the Alberta-native.
>>>"We really came together as a team tonight," said Mike Fisher. "When people argue about whether fighting has a place in hockey or not. Look at this game right here. We were out of this game early. Heads were down and we were trying to do too much as individuals. We seen Jonas (Hiller) getting run out there and Sheldon took the matter into his own hands. Down two goals and to have someone step-up like that was exactly what we needed to get the blood flowing again."
>>>The Timberwolves next game is on Friday against the re-building Dayton Musicmen.
>>>
>>>3 STARS
>>>***Marc Savard (THU) - 3 assists
>>>**Patrick Sharp (THU) - 2 goals, including the game-winner
>>>*Sheldon Souray (THU) - Goal, 2 assists and a fight won