SUDBURY – Over the past five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, the Sarnia Sting has a dismal 2-7-0-1 record against the Sudbury Wolves, including 0-5-0-0 at the Sudbury Arena.

Those woes continued Friday night as the Wolves ended Sarnia’s modest winning streak with a 4-0 victory in front of 3,962 spectators.

The Sting went into the game riding a six-game winning streak, their longest winning streak since 2006-07. Sarnia had a seven-game wining streak in 2003-04. Last season their longest winning streak was only three games.

Sarnia’s record this season is now 7-5-1-0 while Sudbury improved to 5-8-0-1.

Wolves netminder Alain Valiquette turned aside all 31 shots he faced in recording his second consecutive shutout. Sudbury blanked Brampton last Sunday. Valiquette was named first star.

“Their goalie played very well for them,” said Sting head coach Dave MacQueen. “He made some saves early that kept them into the game and was very good in the third period.”

MacQueen felt his team didn’t play the way they have over the winning streak.

“We didn’t seem to have that same energy we’ve had in previous games. But give Sudbury some credit. They made a coaching change this week and they are a better team than their record shows.”

He added, “we aren’t a team who can play with six or seven passengers and tonight I thought we had a few passengers. Some guys chose not to show up.”

The first period was scoreless. Eddie Rinke had Sudbury’s best scoring chance when he rang a wrist shot off the goalpost in the second minute. Sarnia held a two-man power play for a minute and 35 seconds. They had five shots on goal, but couldn’t beat Wolves netminder Alain Valiquette.

Ben O’Quinn had a great chance for the Sting early in period two, but his close-in shot went off the post.
Four minutes later Sudbury opened the scoring at 7:54 when Brent Maggio scored on a point drive that Sting goalie Adam Courchaine never saw.

The Sting took their first penalty of the game and it took the Wolves only 23 seconds with the man advantage to go ahead 2-0 at 13:12. Jared Staal’s attempted pass out from behind the net went off Courchaine and into the net.

Jesse Raymond took over in goal for the Sting to start the third period and allowed two quick goals on four shots.

Ex-Sting Daniel Lombardi scored his fifth goal of the season at 1:09 when his pass out from behind the net went off Raymond. Thirty-two seconds later John Kurtz of the Wolves split the Sting defence and fired a wrist shot into the top corner on the glove side.

“Courchaine was feeling sick so that’s why Jesse came in,” said MacQueen. “We don’t want to take any chances with Adam and do the right thing. Obviously those two quick goals in the third period out us down 4-0 and that’s a hard road to climb back from.”

Sudbury finished with a 33-31 edge in shots on goal.

Sarnia was zero-for-seven on the power play while Sudbury was one-for-six.

The Sting concludes their three-game road trip Sunday night in Oshawa against the Generals. Sarnia’s next home game is Friday when they host the Saginaw Spirit beginning at 7:35 p.m. at the RBC Centre.

• All three stars were from the Wolves, Valiquette, Lombardi and Foligno.

• Scratches for the Sting last night included Kyle Neuber (fourth OA), Ted Brithen (numbers), Shayne Campbell (flu) and Ron Soucie (flu). Campbell and Soucie are expected to join the team for Sunday’s game in Oshawa.

• Jesse Raymond was again the backup goalie. He expects to be back in Sarnia Saturday night to play for the Sarnia Legionnaires when they host Leamington.

• Ex-Sting forward Chris Beauchamp is now playing with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

• Mike Foligno was behind the Wolves bench for the first time this season. He is also the team’s general manager. Foligno takes over from Bryan Verreault who was relieved of the head coaches duties earlier this week. The Wolves assistant coach is former NHLer Jeff Beukeboom.

• For one of the rare times in the OHL there was a father-son combination opposing one another in last night’s game. Dave MacQueen and Zack MacQueen for the Sting and Mike Foligno and Marcus Foligno for the Wolves.

• During a first period stoppage of play there was a marriage proposal on the video scoreclock. She said yes.

• Lombardi, who played four seasons in Sarnia, has five goals and five assists in 12 games this year. Lombardi was traded from Sarnia to Belleville at the start of the year before moving on to Sudbury.

• There was another trade in the OHL Friday. The Barrie Colts sent 19-year-old forward Josh Brittain to the Plymouth Whalers in exchange for a third round draft pick in 2010 and a second round pick in 2011. Brittain had three goals and five assists in 12 games with the Colts this season.