Miners win Home Opener, defeat Squirrels 4-3.

GAME STORY

Miners win Home Opener, defeat Squirrels 4-3.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON)

After a lackluster performance versus the Long Island Express in the Season Opener, the Sudbury Miners were back at it again, seeking their first win of the 2018-19 CCHL season.

Being back in Sudbury for the Home Opener, the Miners would score late the third period and hold on for a 4-3 win over the visiting Fonthill Flying Squirrels, much to the delight of the sold-out crowd at the Vale Centre on Wednesday Night.

Aaron Ekblad led the way offensively for the Miners with a goal and two assists, while Vincent Trocheck and Sam Reinhart would each notch a couple of points. Fredrick Andersen, making his second consecutive start made 33 saves in the win.

Special teams were definitely a factor in this game. While the Squirrels were 1-for-2 on the power play, the Miners were a sizzling 3-for-8 with the man-advantage. "Not the prettiest win but we found a way," Ekblad said. "We stuck to our game, kept pushing and found a way. Special teams came up big for us and Freddie came up big for us to and kept us in it, especially the last two periods.

Alex Ovechkin and Richard Panik, each with a pair, scored for Fonthill. Defenceman Alex Edler would chip in a pair of assists and former Miner goaltender Ben Bishop would make 31 saves in the loss. Despite the win, Miners head coach Derek Sutton still knows there is work to be done to get his team to the upper levels of the CCHL.

“We got a little sloppy with the puck. That was not a Picasso by any means,” he said. “You’re never going to complain about a win, but we’re going to go over every game and continue to teach these guys.”

MINERS NUGGETS

- Gustav Forsling made his Miners debut versus the Flying Squirrels. While he did not record a point, he played solidly in his 15 minutes of ice time.

- Next game for the Miners is on Saturday night as they go on the road to Victoria to take on the Ronin.