Greyhounds ready to ‘sacrifice for each other’
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
Talk about boiling it down.
Soo Greyhounds defenceman Callum Croskery believes the series with the Kitchener Rangers comes down to two simple words.
“Our team is built around belief and brotherhood,” said Croskery, a first-year defenceman, whose club is set to begin its best-of-seven, Western Conference semifinal with the Rangers on Friday (7 p.m.) at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. “We’re very excited and very confident going into this series. And we’re appreciative of the insane opportunity we have to go and play such a good team. It’s going to be fun.”
Asked to amplify his thoughts on the two words he spoke of, the Oakville, Ont., native talked about how each Greyhound believes in the players around them and in the coaching staff.
“We trust each other that we’ll all sacrifice and do the right things. We believe we can do anything with this group,” Croskery added.
As for his reference to brotherhood, the six-foot-one, 180-pounder, said the importance of camaraderie can’t be overstated.
“Guys on this team are ready to go to war for each other and sacrifice for each other,” Croskery noted. “When you’re doing it for the guy beside you, it’s a lot more powerful than just doing it for yourself.”
And what the Greyhounds are going to have to do is find a way to beat a club that finished first (47-14-5-2) in the Western Conference. The Rangers swept eighth-place Saginaw in the conference quarter-finals, while the fifth-place Hounds (39-23-1-5) eliminated fourth-place London in five games.
“That’s a really-good hockey club. They’re well-structured, organized and consistent with their brand,” Hounds head coach John Dean said of the Rangers, who also play host to Game 2 on Sunday (7 p.m.), before the series shifts to GFL Memorial Gardens next Tuesday and Thursday (both at 7:07 p.m.). “They’re very-threatening off the rush and generally, they’re above the puck. I have a lot of respect for the way they play and I think it’ll be a great series.”
So what will it take to stop a Kitchener club which finished behind only Brantford (48-10-8-2) in the OHL’s overall standings?
While respecting his opponent, Dean, as he often has this season, spoke of how he’s more concerned with his club doing the things it must do.
“We want to play with a lot of pace and take away time and space,” the coach began. “We want to be a team that manages the puck well. That’s going to be extremely important because they’re very deep up front. We don’t want to give them a lot of transition opportunities.”
With multiple games now under their belts, centre Brady Martin and defenceman Chase Reid – both of whom missed big chunks of the regular season due to injuries – have made the Greyhounds a much-better team.
A club which dropped four out of five to close the regular season, skated with renewed clout against the Knights.
What has Dean seen from his players during a week of rest and preparation?
“I’ve seen excitement, commitment to detail, I’ve seen a group that is staying even-keeled,” he explained. “But also a group that is very excited to be participating in the second round.”
The Rangers have proven themselves a dangerous power-play club. They finished No. 4 in the OHL in the regular season (26.1 per cent) and are fifth so far in the playoffs, converting 4-of-11 opportunities (36.4).
Dean said he and his coaches stressed the importance of discipline in the London series, and will again against Kitchener.
“The best penalty-kill is not to take penalties at all,” he added. “But our guys did an exceptional job against London and I expect more of the same against Kitchener.”
The Hounds PK limited the Knights to 3-for-21 (86.7 per cent) with the man advantage.
“We’re up for the challenge of facing the Kitchener powerplay,” said veteran defenceman Spencer Evans. Assistant coach Brendan Taylor “has done a great job of preparing us. Now it’s up to us to execute.”
Evans spoke of how the willingness to “put our bodies on the line and block shots,” will be critical.
As for the Soo powerplay, an up-and-down unit during much of the regular season, the addition of Martin and Reid has things trending in the right direction, Dean said.
While his club was a pedestrian 4-for-23 (17.6 per cent) in the first round, the coach said he believes those numbers are deceiving.
“We scored some critical goals and gained momentum from our powerplay in the London series,” Dean explained.
Asked about how he sees his club’s level of confidence entering Round 2, Dean answered quickly.
“We have a ton of belief in ourselves. We know it’s going to be a very-difficult series,” he answered. “But we also plan to put our best foot forward.”
When it comes to playoff matchups, Dean has never been one to label his team as either favorites or underdogs.
On Thursday, he repeated what he’s said numerous times during the regular season.
“Our expectation, always, is that we win every game we play in.”
Notes:
Hounds centre Chris Brown, second on the club in regular season scoring, remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Defenceman Brodie McConell-Barker (illness) remains week-to-week, the coach added.
It’s believed the Rangers have no serious injuries.
