Charron’s redirections direct Hounds to impressive victory
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photos by Bob Davies
FULL PHOTO GALLERY | GAME HIGHLIGHTS | GAME CENTRE
Jordan Charron picked the perfect night to end his slump.
Having scored just twice in his previous 13 games, the Soo Greyhounds leading goal-scorer connected twice on Friday, leading his club to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Ottawa 67s in front of 3,931 at GFL Memorial Gardens.
Ottawa began the day first overall in the 20-team OHL.
But against the 67s, Charron and his teammates were outstanding throughout.
“Feels great. This was a good step for me,” said Charron, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect who has 21 goals on the season. “Hopefully, I can keep it going. And I know this win gives us a lot of confidence. I’m really proud of how we played.”
“Super proud, super pleased,” head coach John Dean said of the Hounds performance, on a night when his team shone in multiple areas, en route to outshooting the 67s 29-15. “This is something we know we’re capable of doing consistently.”
Dean, whose club improved to 23-14-1-1 heading into Saturday’s 7:07 p.m. home start against Niagara, admitted the Greyhounds haven’t done it often enough.
However, “this was a fantastic game for us. We made them fight for every inch, we fought for every inch and I thought we were on the right side of most battles.”
Winning puck battles, managing the puck and controlling the front of the net at both ends of the ice were among the aspects of the game Dean was most pleased with.
In a game well-suited for production from the dirty areas of the ice, Dean spoke of how “greasy goals were the only way you were going to win this hockey game.”
Cue Charron.
Of late, the second-year winger has been snakebitten, failing to convert on assorted breakaways and Grade A opportunities.
“But the positive is, I was still getting chances,” said the Ayr, Ont., native.
Friday, redirections and fortuitous bounces played a role in both Charron tallies.
With Ottawa leading 1-0, the second-year winger tied the game at 17:46 of the second period. Chris Brown fired from the point and Charron, cruising in front, got his stick on the shot.
The puck then appeared to hit an opponent’s glove, before going high over 67s netminder Jaeden Nelson.
As the battle intensified in the third period, Charron put the Soo ahead at 5:33. Again Brown fired from just inside the point.
“I tipped it down, it hit the ice, bounced up and went over their goalie,” Charron said of his second goal, giving the Soo its 2-1 advantage.
Sault native Cooper Foster had the lone Ottawa tally. The veteran centre connected for a power-play marker at 13:47 of the middle stanza.
Foster got behind the Hounds defence and had an easy tap-in, following a feed from Jasper Kuhta. Soo netminder Landon Miller had no chance on the play.
Brown, who boosted his stat line to 14-25-39 in 39 games, said he believes Friday’s win shows the Hounds are quite capable of playing with anyone in the league.
“I thought we played a great game and dominated at some points,” he added. “Our O-zone play was very good, it was very structured and we closed quickly in our D-zone.”
Charron spoke of enjoying Friday’s physicality.
“It was a chippy game and I liked that,” he smiled. “And we were a lot better in the D-zone than we have been lately.”
“Both teams didn’t give up a whole lot,” said Ottawa head coach Dave Cameron, whose club fell to 28-9-1-2. “Full marks to the Soo. They defended well.”
Cameron spoke of how he didn’t think the 67s, 0-2-1-0 in their last three games, were overly sharp.
“We couldn’t make that ‘next’ play all night that would have given us that Grade A chance,” he said. “We didn’t create enough and their goalie had a pretty easy night.”
While it’s true Miller wasn’t under the gun on Friday, the veteran netminder played well, and did what he had to – under somewhat difficult circumstances.
Celebrated newcomer Carter George, acquired from Owen Sound on Wednesday, and expected to assume the No. 1 role, dressed as a backup on Friday.
Miller is a “young man who believes in himself. . . and has been placed in an interesting spot,” Dean said. “And I’m sure he’s not excited about it. For him to have that performance, I’m super proud of him.”
Despite the fact they beat Sudbury 6-2 on Wednesday, Dean acknowledged his players certainly weren’t satisfied with their performance.
But Friday’s showing “was our first really-polished game in five games,” he added.
When asked, Dean confirmed George would make his Greyhounds debut on Saturday.
After the game, the Thunder Bay native, who flew in Friday afternoon, said the recent changes to his hockey life haven’t quite hit him yet.
“The guys have been awesome welcoming me,” George said. “I’m super excited (to make my debut). Everything I’ve heard about the fans is great and I’m looking forward to playing in front of them.”
Notes:
Jakub Winkelhofer missed the game with a lower-body injury. He’s considered week to week.
Brady Martin, who suffered a shoulder injury at the World Junior Championships, is also week to week.
Due to numbers, defenceman Keegan Gillen has been returned to the Newmarket Hurricanes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
