Forty-minutes enough for two points Friday
Story by soogreyhounds.com | Photo courtesy of James Egan Photography | Post-Game audio provided by Brad Coccimiglio (Sootoday.com)
SAULT STE. MARIE, ON –
While one team was waiting patiently in their dressing room, the other was waiting to arrive at the Essar Centre on Friday Night.
Due to travel difficulties for the visiting Saginaw Spirit, the third meeting of the season between them and the Hounds started over a half-hour later than scheduled.
The Hound would eventually hold on for the victory and the insurance of an empty-net goal.
“Not at the end, I mean the first two periods we played well obviously we gave one shot (in the first). We could have scored a lot more in the first we just weren’t able to capitalize on our chances. We did in the second” said Hounds Head Coach Drew Bannister when asked about the performance and in reference to it being not what he was looking for.
“Then we came out lackadaisical where we didn’t clear a puck on the PK when we should have been down and all that wouldn’t started. The third goal the linesman is in the way. When you start to cheat you’re not going to get the bounces and we seemed to play real well in the first two periods, and again up 4-0 and find a way to let a team into the hockey game and almost tie that game up” he added.
The first period got underway with Hounds setting the pace in the contest.
Plenty of scoring chances and a lopsided shot clock favoured the home side in the period as they kept Saginaw shots away from netminder JOSEPH RAAYMAKERS until over the midway point of the period.
The scoreless frame had the Hounds outshoot Saginaw 9-1.
After forty-six seconds of a Greyhound powerplay expired the team was almost immediately (8 seconds later) put onto the Vaultra penalty-kill in the second.
It was there the team would open the scoring.
BORIS KATCHOUK knocked the puck away from the Spirit at his own blueline and skate int alone on a breakaway that he would deposit to the five-hole of Brendan Bonello for the 1-0 Greyhounds lead.
For Katchouk that was his 3rd shorthanded goal of the season and 14th of the year overall.
Less than a minute later RAAYMAKERS turned aside a pad stop on Kris Bennett keeping the lead intact and enabling the Hounds to quickly turn the margin of their lead bigger.
At 5:34, BARRETT HAYTON showed his slick hands up the left wing and went bar-down and in for his 4th goal of the year and a 2-0 Greyhounds lead.
The pair of goals came on three total shots for the Hounds to start the period.
Before the second period was halfway through, TIM GETTINGER displayed the puck-handling skills of his own and moved to the net before backhanding home his 15th goal of the season for a 3-0 lead.
The North Olmsted, OH product now has goals in three consecutive games.
Then under two minutes later LIAM HAWEL put the low shot on goal and as Brendan Bonello moved his leg the puck popped free and crossed the line for a 4-0 Greyhounds lead through two periods of play.
Saginaw would come out in the third period and set the pace.
Within the first five minutes and Saginaw on the man advantage, RAAYMAKERS made perhaps his biggest save of the game when Matthew Kreis was given the puck all alone in front and after some time to choose his options, was turned aside.
“I thought Raay played really well. I thought the guys hung him out to dry in the third period” said Bannister.
From there it was the visitors firing home three consecutive goals to make it a one goal contest, along with holding the Hounds shotless in the first six-and-a-half minutes.
Four seconds after the Spirit powerplay expired (6:27), Kris Bennett backhanded a shot while down on the ice through traffic and home to make it a 4-1 contest.
Less than two minutes later (8:41), Cole Coskey’s shot under the bar was deemed good after video review and Saginaw cut the lead in half.
The comback continued for the visitors at 12:51 when the puck hit an official ending in an odd-man rush where Kirill Maksimov hesitated before going gloveside to pull the Spirit within a goal now trailing 4-3.
The Greyhounds would show spurts off offense later in the game and eventually seal the empty net goal in the final minute.
ZACH SENYSHYN’s attempt to put the puck on goal hit HAYDEN VERBEEK and a Spirit defending in front of the goal before VERBEEK swiped the puck home quickly to provide the Hounds breathing room in the 5-3 victory.
“We won a game by playing forty minutes but we did the same thing Wednesday and lost a hockey game. Guys have to figure it out. You have to play sixty minutes if you want to be consistently winning hockey games. If you want to be a .500 club you can do that, but I think we’re way better than a .500 club” concluded Bannister when asked about the overall performance of his club.
The Hounds penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4 on the night, while the team improved their record to 23-8-2-0, good for 48 points.
The victory, combined with Windsor’s loss at Erie moves the club into sole possession of first place in the OHL’s West Division (Windsor holds two games in hand)
RED STAR THREE STARS
1- Boris Katchouk, SSM
2- Kris Bennett, SAG
3- Hayden Verbeek, SSM
To view the online scoresheet CLICK HERE.
UP NEXT;
The Hounds conclude their Pre-Christmas schedule this coming Sunday, December 18 when they host the Sarnia Sting.
Game time is set for 2:07 PM and this will official mark the midway point of the Ontario Hockey League Season.
Join the Hounds by getting your tickets at the Essar Centre Box Office, online at www.essarcentre.ca or by phone at 1.866.775.9422.
