Bradly Nadeau Shootout Winner Sends Chicago Wolves to 5-4 Road Win

Bradly Nadeau finished with a goal, an assist and the only successful shootout attempt as the Chicago Wolves beat the Toronto Marlies 5-4 in a shootout Saturday night in Toronto, extending Chicago’s points streak to six games and kicking off a three-game road trip. The victory was the Wolves’ second straight and their fifth win in six outings.

Chicago opened the scoring when the 20-year-old Nadeau buried his 22nd goal of the season early, camping in front and converting a feed from Ryan Suzuki behind the Toronto net with a quick one-timer that beat Marlies goalie Akhtyamov to the stick side; assists were credited to Suzuki and Justin Robidas. Toronto responded with a shorthanded strike from Benoit-Olivier Groulx that evened the game at 2-2, and late in the first Robidas collected a pass from Nadeau and snapped a left-circle shot that sailed under Akhtyamov’s glove for Robidas’ 22nd of the year, with Nadeau and Domenick Fensore picking up assists.

The second period featured another pair of shorthanded finishes for Toronto and a quick answer from Chicago. Ryan Tverberg knotted the contest at 3-3 early in the middle frame with Toronto’s second shorthanded goal, then Suzuki gave the Wolves a 4-3 lead when Felix Unfer Sorum put a nifty pass from along the end boards right on Suzuki’s tape and Suzuki hammered home a one-timer for his 10th of the season; the recap later refers to that assist as coming from “Unger Sorum.” Noah Chadwick pulled the Marlies back even at 4-4 midway through the second, and Ronan Seeley also appears on the Wolves’ scoresheet as a goal scorer in the game.

After a scoreless third period and scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout. Nadeau was the only player to find the net in the tiebreaker and Wolves starter Cayden Primeau stopped all three Marlies attempts to secure the road victory for Chicago.

The win keeps Chicago trending upward late in the campaign and begins their three-game road swing on a high note. Nadeau’s two-point night and his shootout finish underline the Wolves’ depth scoring, while Primeau’s perfect shootout work provided the decisive margin in a contest that featured multiple lead changes and two shorthanded goals by Toronto. The Wolves will carry a six-game points streak and momentum into the remainder of the road trip.