​Wolves gain breathing room atop standings with 7-4 win over Durham

The Ripley Wolves took care of business with a tidy 7-4 win over Durham, Saturday night, while second-place Creemore lost to Minto, giving the Wolves a four-point lead for first in the Ontario Elite Hockey League (OEHL).

Dan Nicoloff led the way with a hat-trick, before exiting the game in the third with an apparent injury, while other Wolves’ goals came from Kaden Hoggarth (2), Cody Britton, and Evan Visser.

Assists went to Garrett Meurs (4), Brett Catto, Jakob Reeves, Todd Hellyer, Alex Kuntz, Tyson Soers, Nicoloff, Visser, and Britton.

Jason Hamilton was solid in the Wolves net, turning aside 33 of 37 shots.

With the win and a Creemore loss, the Wolves now have a four-point lead on the Coyotes for first place in the OEHL. Creemore does have a game in hand and owns the tie-breaker, so it looks as if it's going to come down to the wire in a wild inaugural season for the OEHL, with just two points currently separating third place and seventh.

The Wolves travel to Southampton to face the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks, Friday, Jan. 26, with an 8:30 p.m. puck drop. They then host third-place Minto, Saturday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m.; the game sponsor is Kempton Construction and it's Sponsor Appreciation Night, which is the team’s opportunity to thank its amazing supporters this season.

Ripley then wraps up the regular season at home, Saturday, Feb. 3, in a make-up game against the Georgian Bay Applekings.