George starts fast, blanks Spirit
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Natalie Shaver (OHLImages)
FULL PHOTO GALLERY | GAME HIGHLIGHTS | GAME CENTRE
In the midst of facing 17 shots in what could have been a hazardous first period on Wednesday, Carter George began bending the game in the direction he wanted to.
After that, his teammates did the rest.
George’s brilliant netminding, and two-goal, two-assist performances by both Marco Mignosa and Justin Cloutier, paved the way for the short-staffed Soo Greyhounds to post a 6-0 victory over the Saginaw Spirit in front of 2,836 at Dow Event Center.
This marked George’s second straight superb performance, giving his club a chance at victory despite the absence of five regulars from the lineup.
“The reason he’s so special is he’s capable of bailing out his teammates when they’re not at their best for the first 20 minutes,” said head coach John Dean, whose club improved to 30-15-1-3 despite playing minus centres Brady Martin (shoulder injury) and Quinn McKenzie (lower body), and defencemen Chase Reid (upper body), Jakub Winkelhofer (lower body) and Spencer Evans (third game of three-game league suspension). “Goaltending like that gives you opportunities to settle into games you don’t start on time.”
George faced a serious test early, and was required to make a number of big saves to keep his team afloat.
“I enjoy that kind of challenge,” said the 19-year-old (2006 birth year), who has started 10 of 11 games since joining the Hounds.
On a night when both clubs had 37 shots, George recorded shutout No. 3 with his new team.
“I had a lot of fun in the game tonight,” said the newest Greyhound, who also held his club in with a memorable third period on Sunday, when the Brantford Bulldogs outshot the Hounds 40-29, en route to a 3-2 shootout victory. “Saginaw came at us hot early and it’s my job to hold them off as much as I can until our guys get going.”
“He was elite in the first period,” added Mignosa, whose club returns home on Thursday, before facing Flint on Friday (7:07 p.m.) and Windsor on Sunday (2:07 p.m.) in the club’s biggest weekend to date this season. “He’s a special goalie, special guy, great player. He came up big for us.”
And George also spoke of how he’s beginning to feel even more comfortable as a member of the Greyhounds.
Whatever level of comfort he showed – especially in the opening frame – certainly rubbed off on his teammates.
The visitors got things started with a power-play marker at 8:43 of the opening period. Colin Fitzgerald’s shot from the high slot went through traffic and beat Stepan Shurygin low on the stick side.
With a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes, Dean talked about how his charges turned their game around in the middle frame.
“We hunted the puck, and took away time and space on the forecheck,” the coach began. “We had a phenomenal second period.”
After a slick stretch pass by Brodie McConnell-Barker, the Hounds turned a 3-on-2 into a two-goal cushion at 4:24 of the middle stanza.
From the left wing, Travis Hayes fed Justin Cloutier who was all alone in front. Cloutier fired high glove side to make it 2-0.
Just before the nine-minute mark, Mignosa got the puck up ice quickly and Jordan Charron fed a driving Jeremy Martin. The Ajax, Ont., native placed a backhander high over Shurygin’s glove to make it 3-0.
Mignosa scored both of his goals in the final frame. After failing to connect on a penalty-shot opportunity, the club’s leading scorer started things with a power-play marker off a rebound at 4:09. That was the 100th goal of Mignosa’s OHL career.
At 16:13, the overage winger slipped the puck through the five-hole on a breakaway to give his club a 5-0 advantage.
“Very special player, very special game for Marco,” said Dean, whose club dropped the Spirit to 17-25-3-4.
Cloutier scored his second of the night, and fourth of the season, at 18:10 to cap the scoring.
The Soo coach lauded Cloutier’s energy, while saying the overage “has been building his game” since his recent return.
Dean also said: “This is the best our powerplay has looked all season,” while adding he’s “not even remotely surprised” at the way in which his players are responding – despite the talent of those not playing.
A number of players are earning extra ice time “trying to prove a point.”
Asked about how players have stepped up throughout the lineup, Mignosa said he was “pumped over our effort.”
As for Reid, the most-recent of the walking wounded, the Hounds say he won’t play this weekend.
He was injured midway through the second period of the Brantford game while trying to box an opponent out in front of the Soo goal.
Dean said the star rearguard is week-to-week with an injury that will continue to be assessed.
The Soo coach is also hopeful McKenzie can play this weekend, but spoke of how there are no guarantees.
