Allard hopes for Friday return
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
Owen Allard has surely had enough of sitting and watching.
And waiting.
Having missed the last eight games with what the Soo Greyhounds will only confirm is an upper-body injury, the overage centre is anxious to return.
And while there is no guarantee, Allard is hoping to play on Friday when the Hounds begin a back-to-back, home-ice series with the North Bay Battalion. Start time for the opener and for Saturday’s second game is 7:07 p.m.
“I definitely want to be in the lineup and get out there and help the boys win,” said Allard, a two-way veteran, who recently signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Utah Hockey Club. “I think I’m a difference-maker for this team and being in the stands and watching the boys play is tough mentally.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Hounds head coach John Dean still considered Allard’s status to be day-to-day, and the Ottawa native spoke of how whether he plays Friday “comes down to how I feel. I have to make sure I’m ready. My goal is to play, but it’s also something I don’t want to rush.”
The overage, who owns a 3-4-7 stat line in six games this season, has practiced this week and was involved in limited contact.
Earlier this week, after an injury-riddled road trip that saw them lose three straight, the Hounds did get some good news with regards their walking wounded.
Defenceman Andrew Gibson, who suffered a lower-body in last Thursday’s 7-2 loss to Niagara, is expected to return on Friday.
Goalie Charlie Schenkel, who suffered an upper-body injury during a practice between games last Saturday, has also practiced and is listed day-to-day.
And, after undergoing tests once the team returned to the Sault, the outlook for winger Noel Nordh is “as good as we could have expected,” Dean said.
Nordh is out “week-to-week” after he appeared to injure his right leg after falling awkwardly along the boards in the Niagara game.
As for Spencer Evans, who injured his upper body in Sunday’s 8-5 loss in Brampton, the veteran rearguard is expected to be out four weeks.
Centre Chris Brown, who suffered a setback to a previous upper-body injury against Niagara, is to undergo more tests. He’s listed day-to-day.
Defenceman Keegan Gillen, who has been out due to illness, has returned to practice and is available for weekend action.
Dean, whose club also dropped a 6-3 decision in Erie on Friday, said he reached “significant” conclusions after reviewing video of Sunday’s setback, which dropped the Hounds to 12-12-0-0.
After an impressive first period, “our habits deteriorated over the course of the game and it had nothing to do with fatigue or with who was out of the lineup,” the coach said. “Things that were well within our control got away from us. That includes level of compete, managing the puck and tracking back to the house.”
He was also more impressed with the work of centre Brady Martin and his wingers, Travis Hayes and Justin Cloutier. The line played about 30 minutes, the coach said. Martin finished with a goal and two assists while Hayes and Cloutier had a goal and an assist each.
“When you consistently go on the ice in a negative position (defensive-zone face-off) and yet you come out with the advantage on your shift, it’s pretty special,” Dean said. “That’s three very-skilled players who are willing to be details-oriented and hard on pucks while playing a second-effort brand of hockey. Those are three guys who are hungry for the puck.”
Asked if they set a sterling example for Greyhounds rookies, Dean said: “They provide a great example for everyone on the team.”
The Battalion comes in having lost two straight, dropping to 10-11-2-0.
Dean lauded his club’s opponent for its ability forecheck and create off the rush.
“They’ve got a young team that works extremely, extremely, hard,” Dean added.
Asked about playing the same opponent on back-to-back nights at home, the coach said there were advantages and disadvantages for both clubs. One advantage, he added, lies in the ability to prepare for the same opponent over two games.
A disadvantage is the fact teams are more likely to split back-to-back contests.
But as the home team, Dean said he sees a major disadvantage for the Greyhounds.
“We travel consistently and playing as the home team, we lose some of that advantage in the Saturday game. North Bay gets to go to bed early after playing on Friday and they’re settled in without having to travel,” he said. “We lose the home-ice advantage, except for last change, and I don’t like that.”
