The Chicago Wolves entered Game 2 of the Calder Cup Final with some serious work to do. After falling in Game 1 to the Toronto Marlies, 4-2, on Friday night, the Wolves hoped to avoid a 2-0 hole before the series shifts north of the border. They got a welcome surprise with the return of Cayden Primeau in the net as they tried to even the series.
The Wolves got off to another quick start, courtesy of a surprising shot from Charles Alexis Legault. His wrister from the point navigated traffic and got a friendly bounce off the post to get the Wolves out front. Bo Groulx got it back for Toronto midway through the frame, but the Wolves regained the lead a few minutes later. Noah Philp put home a rebound, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead after 20.
The second period belonged to the Marlies. Alex Nylander drew a penalty shot early in the period, and he beat Primeau with a slick backhand move to tie it at two. Logan Shaw pushed Toronto in front by working around the Wolves' defense and tucking his backhand home around the outstretched pad of Primeau. After two periods, Chicago was in a tough spot.
Never out of the fight, the Wolves' defense helped drive the offense. Juuso Valimaki crashed the net to get the tying goal early in the period. Groulx's second of the contest looked like it might give Toronto the win as time ticked away, but Valimaki wasn't going down without a fight. With 16.7 left in regulation, he also scored his second goal, sending the teams to overtime for the first time.
The story didn't have a happy ending for the Wolves. Early in the fourth period, Toronto's captain earned them a 2-0 series lead. Shaw won a battle in front of the net to poke a loose puck home, sending the Marlies back home with a stranglehold on the series. It was a disappointing way for the afternoon to end for Chicago.
As I said after Game 1, the key to stopping Toronto's offense is shutting down their top contributors. Once again, the Wolves failed to do so in Game 2. Vinni Lettieri followed up his three-point series opener with three more assists. William Villenueve also had three helpers. Shaw and Groulx had two goals each. The Wolves have to be better in this area moving forward.
Offensively, the defense combined for three of the team's four goals, but some of the forwards found ways to contribute. Noah Philp finished with a goal and an assist. Justin Robidas and Ryan Suzuki had a pair of assists each. Bradly Nadeau also had a helper. Usually, that would be enough on most nights. That wasn't the case in Game 2.
Now up 2-0, the Marlies have all of the momentum on their side as they host the Wolves. We're guaranteed to get Game 3 on Tuesday night and Game 4 on Thursday, but anything beyond that is dependent on the Wolves winning at least one of the next two. If they split, we'll have Game 5 in Toronto on Friday. If they win twice in Toronto, the Wolves will be back at home to host Game 6.
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