Mississauga Steelheads started their four-game home stand with a resounding 5-1 win over the Brampton Battalion on Friday night.
On Sunday afternoon, the Sudbury Wolves come to town in a meeting between two Central Division foes.
Mississauga (8-4-0-1) has scored 11 goals in its past two games, and is looking to continue their recent wave of offensive success against the Wolves.
Sudbury (7-7-0) is coming off a 7-2 thrashing of the Niagara IceDogs on Friday evening, and their volatile offence will be a difficult test for the Steelheads sturdy defence.
“They’re an extremely hard-working team,” said Mississauga’s head coach James Boyd, after the team’s win over Brampton.
“They’re a team that’s been a little bit inconsistent this season, but when they’re at their best, they’re right there with any team in the conference, so we’re going to expect them to be at their best.”
Sudbury is led by offensive catalyst Josh Leivo, the Maple Leafs’ third-round selection in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Leivo has amassed 15 points in 14 games, and has spurred an erratic Wolves’ attack.
Steelheads captain Stuart Percy was well aware of Leivo’s scoring capabilities in his preparation for Sunday’s game.
“They’ve got a couple of players who can go off offensively, guys like Leivo and (Matthew) Campagna, so we’ve got to stick to our regular game plan.
“We’ve got to play hard defensively and make it frustrating for them, and I think if we do that, we’ll have a good chance on Sunday.”
Riley Brace, Mississauga’s top scorer will be counted on to generate offensive opportunities against Sudbury.
Playing on a line with Josh Burnside and Dylan Smoskowitz, the trio has given opposing defences fits in their relentless pursuit of the puck.
Brace, a fifth-year veteran was well aware of the challenge that Sudbury will provide on Sunday.
“They’ve got good goaltending, solid defence, they’re a pretty good hockey team. We’ll definitely look at the video (Saturday) and we’ll be ready for Sudbury on Sunday.”