Weekend Preview: Wolves Return Home Hunting First Win as Sentinels Visit for Weekend Set

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — The Watertown Wolves are back home, and the first win of the season is still right there for the taking. Watertown hosts the Indiana Sentinels for a two-game Great Lakes Division series Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m. both nights at the Northern Credit Union Community Arena.

The Wolves return to Watertown after a hard road weekend at Port Huron, where the goaltending gave them every chance — Anthony Shrum stopped 45 shots Friday and Frank Zgiet turned aside 39 on Saturday — and where newcomer Dean Balsamo picked up his first point as a Wolf, setting up Donovan Powell's power-play goal in the opener. Now the Wolves get a division rival on home ice, in front of their own crowd, with a full week to reset.

Why this weekend matters

This is a divisional weekend with real ground to gain. The Wolves enter at 0-6-1 with one point, fourth in the Great Lakes Division, while Indiana sits second at 3-3-0 with six points.

It is also the first meeting of the season between the clubs, and Indiana's first trip to Watertown this year. The Sentinels split their home set with Motor City last weekend, winning 2-1 on Friday before dropping a 4-1 decision Saturday, and they have been exactly even on the season — 13 goals for, 13 against in six games. They are beatable, and the Wolves know it.

The matchup

Indiana arrives with a balanced attack. TJ Sneath leads the Sentinels with five goals, Jason Tynan opened the scoring Saturday with his first of the year, and David MacDonald runs the point. But the Sentinels have been streaky: they outshot Motor City 30-17 on Saturday and still lost 4-1, going scoreless on six power-play chances, and they were shut down at Topeka the weekend before, losing 2-0 and 2-1.

In goal, Indiana is dealing with an absence: veteran netminder John Werber was placed on extended injured reserve Oct. 27, and Will Pinney was between the pipes in Saturday's loss to Motor City.

Bottom line

The Wolves have been close — an overtime loss, and a 3-0 loss at Port Huron that was a one-goal game into the final minute of the second period — and now they get a division rival at home and a goaltending tandem playing its best hockey of the season. The first win is just around the corner. There is no better place for it than home, in front of the Watertown crowd, against a team sitting just five points ahead in the standings.

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Tickets are available online at Clubhouse Cards for this Friday and Saturday.  The Watertown Wolves are also offering a special package option for just $200 that includes a Watertown Wolves jersey signed by the entire team, a private meet-and-greet opportunity with 2 Wolves players and tickets to both weekend games included.  You can purchase this special package here.

If you have a group of 10 or more coming to any Wolves home game, be sure to inquire about our special group rate!