Hounds say series “far from over”
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo courtesy of Remo Agostino (Windsor Spitfires)
The Soo Greyhounds say they’re determined to be part of a resurrection that would impress even Lazarus.
After falling into a 2-0 series hole on Saturday, the result of a 7-1 loss to the Windsor Spitfires in front of 5,640 at WFCU Centre, the Hounds are happy to be going home.
Games 3 and 4 in the best-of-seven, Western Conference quarter-final are slated for Monday and Wednesday, both at 7:07 p.m. at GFL Memorial Gardens.
“We’re not going to back down. We’ve been through tough situations all year,” said winger Marco Mignosa, whose team was stung by two early goals on Saturday for the second game in a row. “Going down 2-0 in a series isn’t going to define our year.”
“This series is far from over. We love having our backs against the wall,” added head coach John Dean, whose club was unable to convert on its scoring chances, while the Spits scored four times on their first 12 shots on goal. “We’ll take one period at a time and see what we can do.”
Overage centre Owen Allard spoke of the belief the Soo players have in each other.
“We’re a group that never quits. I think we can win two straight at home,” said Allard, on a night when he and his teammates committed far too many turnovers, took 10 minor penalties and were again dominated by the Spits line of Noah Morneau, Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree. “I know teams don’t like to play us up North. With the crowd behind us, there’ll be a lot of good momentum and I think we’ll find a way.”
Morneau finished with three goals and one assist on Saturday, Protas contributed three assists and Greentree scored once and set up two others. Greentree (3-4-7), Protas (0-7-7) and Morneau (5-1-6) have combined for 20 points in two games.
Windsor scored twice in the first 3:34 on Thursday, en route to a 7-2 victory. On Saturday, the home side connected twice in the first 2:44.
Just 2:04 into Game 2, Morneau was left alone in the slot on a Windsor power play. He beat Nolan Lalonde high to the glove side to make it 1-0.
Just 40-seconds later, Carter Hicks beat Brady T. Smith to the front of the net and converted an Ethan Garden feed by going five-hole on Lalonde.
“We lost a bunch of puck battles early and lost a tracking assignment back to the net,” Dean said of the first two tallies. “It’s unacceptable.”
“We need to be super-detailed in our approach,” added Allard.
After a third Windsor goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference, the Soo connected on a 5-on-3 power play. Allard redirected a Chase Reid shot past Joey Costanzo at 10:16.
After being tripped on his way to the net, Mignosa was awarded a penalty shot at 14:52. But he was unable to lift a backhander over Costanzo’s pad and later, blamed himself for not giving his club a momentum boost.
On the power play, Garden wheeled in the Soo zone and his high shot beat a screened Lalonde at 3:46 of the second period. Forty-seven seconds later, Protas made a beautiful stretch pass to Greentree, who made a move around Reid and scored on the blocker side from the slot.
That made it 4-1. Dean was asked if his club could have really used an early save.
“We gave up so many Grade A chances, you’re always going to ask for a save,” the coach answered. “Lalonde battles so hard for us.”
Morneau added two more tallies in the third, including a power-play goal when he was alone in front to make it 6-1. Landon Miller relieved Lalonde at that point. AJ Spellacy, shorthanded, capped the scoring on a night when Windsor held a 34-25 edge in shots.
Garden and Spellacy notched a goal and an assist each while Jack Nesbitt added a pair of assists.
“This is an awful feeling, to be honest with you,” lamented Mignosa. “There’s really no words.”
Dean talked about how the Hounds must be smarter with the puck against a team as fast as Windsor.
“We’re turning over pucks like crazy,” he said.
The Spits finished 2-for-8 on the power play and Dean admitted his club “must stay out of the box. You can’t take a period worth of penalties and expect to beat the Windsor Spitfires. It’s very deflating.”
The best part of the trip to Windsor, no doubt, is the fact it’s over.
“But we believe,” said defenceman Spencer Evans. “I’m still very confident and I believe in this group. Everyone in our room does.”
Notes:
Dean said he’s hopeful defenceman Hunter Solomon and forward Chris Brown, who both missed Game 2 with upper-body injuries, will be available on Monday.
Meantime, a fifth game in this series, if needed, is set for next Friday in Windsor.
If the series goes six, the Hounds will be at home for an Apr. 6 tilt, a rare 7:07 p.m. Sunday clash.
Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Apr. 8 in Windsor.
