A pair of games that required very little additional motivation could not have come at a better time for the Sudbury U16 AAA Wolves.

Still trying to chase down the New Liskeard Cubs for the seventh and final playoff spot* in the Great North U18 League, the local U16 AAA crew hosted the North Bay U16 AAA Trappers a couple of weeks ago for a two game set, fresh off a split with the second place Timmins Majors.

That would be the same North Bay U16 AAA Trappers team that welcomed no less than five players to their roster this season who are by and large Sudbury and area natives and who all played for the Sudbury U15 AAA Wolves one year earlier.

(* the 9-team GNU18L is running a pair of playoff tournaments this year: 1) a play-in weekend that sees the 5th/6th/7th place teams vying for one chance to advance, with 8th/9th eliminated from post-season play; and 2) a five team final round robin + gold medal game weekend that features the top four teams at the conclusion of regular season play + the team advancing from the play-ins)

Needing victories in the very worst way, the Sudbury side racked up back to back shootout victories over North Bay, winning by scores of 7-6 and 4-3 and now finding themselves just two points back of New Liskeard.

The Wolves have five games remaining, including a pair opposite the last place Kapuskasing Flyers (5-19-2-1), while the Cubs have three encounters still to go.

"I think we play our best hockey when we play them (North Bay U16) because we have something to strive for," noted Sudbury netminder Owen Lamothe who sparkled in the 4-3 win. "The team really gets going."

"I know those guys (the players now in North Bay); I've played with them for a while now," added Lamothe. "We're friends still, but on the ice, I wouldn't say that we are."

Goals by Landen Lake-Rego, Keiran McCoy and Hunter Currie gave Sudbury a 3-1 lead after two periods of play before North Bay rallied on tallies from Cedar Montreuil (his second) and Janssen Fransen to force overtime.

"In the second period, I was really good," noted Lamothe. "Then the third hit and they scored two - but in overtime, I wasn't letting nothing by."

After Gillis O'Daiskey (Sudbury) and Owen Smith (North Bay) traded goals in the shootout, the fourth Wolves' marksmen Sam Piette would pull the trigger for the win.

One day earlier, Gillis O'Daiskey played the hero in the shootout as Sudbury again surrendered a third period lead only to win in the skills session.

Mikael Guerin scored twice to pace the Wolves attack with solo markers coming courtesy of Adrien Potvin, Sam Piette, Emmett Croome and Gillis O'Daiskey. Janssen Fransen and Cedar Montreuil countered with two goals each for the Trappers, with Brayden Hanam and Evan Rowe capping things off for the visitors.

Despite the setbacks, the North Bay U16 AAA lads still hold a ten point advantage over Sudbury, boasting a record of 13-13-0-3 (29 pts) versus 9-17-0-1 (19) for the Wolves, with New Liskeard (10-18-1-0 = 21 pts) squeezed between the two.

"We're not having the best of seasons so far, but our group of guys are really nice and they work hard, work really hard at practice," said goaltender Lamothe. "We have a lot of one goal games so we just have to get that one goal to get that extra point."

Sudbury will face the first place North Bay U18 AAA Trappers (26-3-0-1) this Sunday in Verner, matching up against the Sudbury U18 AAA Wolves (17-10-0-1) next Wednesday (Feb 26th) at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.

Meanwhile, the Soo U18 AAA Jr Greyhounds (13-6-7-1) are in New Liskeard Friday night, leaving the Cubs with one game against each of the North Bay teams to wrap up their season.