North Bay Battalion — Sudbury Wolves: 4:3, OHL

North Bay Battalion edged Sudbury Wolves 1:0 in the Ontario Hockey League on Wednesday night. The result gives the home side their first points of the campaign and extends the visitors' winning streak to five straight games.

We had North Bay on the scoreboard before kick-off, and here's the thing — the confidence was modest at 52 per cent. By then it looked justified. The hosts need the points badly after a run of losses, and they found a way to secure them.

North Bay sit eighth with seven games played and two wins. They were second to everything this season until tonight, and the zero-point tally is finally broken. To be fair, they had nothing to do all evening in terms of creating chances, but they defended their lead when it mattered.

Sudbury remain second after five consecutive victories. Their recent form has been ruthless — 7:1, 4:2, 5:2, 6:0, 2:1 — and they camped in the final third throughout. Cup football has its own rules, and they are playing a different game from the rest of the table.

The gap between the sides on the standings is clear. North Bay have hit a wall with five defeats in seven, while Sudbury are building momentum. This was a result that changed nothing in the hierarchy, but it saved face for the hosts.