Hounds third period flurry forces Game 5
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photos by Bob Davies
FULL PHOTO GALLERY | GAME HIGHLIGHTS | GAME CENTRE
It wasn’t quite a Category 4 hurricane.
But what the Soo Greyhounds unleashed in the third period on Thursday would surely qualify as a dangerous tornado.
In an elimination game, the Hounds grabbed adversity – they trailed 2-0 through 40 minutes – and squeezed it into opportunity.
They scored four unanswered goals, including the first three in a span of 4:02, to defeat the Kitchener Rangers 4-2 in front of 4,613 at GFL Memorial Gardens.
“We were great the whole third period,” said captain Brady Martin, whose club trails the best-of-seven, Western Conference semifinal 3-1, heading into Game 5 on Friday (7 p.m.) at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. “I’m very proud of our team. We’ve battled adversity all year. To come back and win that game shows the character we have, the will we have, the brotherhood and how much we want to win.”
In order to mitigate fatigue, the Greyhounds and Rangers were both scheduled to fly out of the Sault on Thursday night.
In a 2-0 deficit and staring at what could be the final 20 minutes of 2025-2026, “we were really determined. We’ve had our backs against the wall pretty much the whole season,” said winger Travis Hayes, who notched the game winner. “We’ve been in that position so many times, down one or two goals. We have the resiliency to come back.”
Jordan Charron scored back-to-back goals to tie the game 2-2, setting the stage for the Hayes winner.
Charron explained how, during the second intermission, head coach John Dean told the players they’re “the best comeback team in the league for a reason. And we know we have the team to come back.”
After each of their third period goals, a torrent of cheers washed over the Greyhounds.
“It’s a special feeling hearing that,” Charron noted. “You just want to come back and win it for the fans.”
On a night when the Soo held a 33-22 edge in shots, the big difference in the third period, said Dean, was his club’s confidence.
He said the Hounds discussed that aspect of their game before coming out for the final frame.
Dean also spoke of how he thought his players looked nervous over the first two periods.
“In the third period, the guys just left it out there. They played with some swagger,” he explained. “They were a little more free. To their credit, everyone jumped on board.”
Charron made it a 2-1 game at 5:56 of the third. Taking a feed from Callum Croskery, he fired through traffic from just inside the left point.
The shot beat Christian Kirsch high on the blocker side.
Just 2:17 later, Croskery made a beautiful play on a rush, eluding four Kitchener defenders before finding Charron on the left wing. The Ayr, Ont., native fired a one-timer, high to the glove-hand side to tie the game.
Hayes notched his first goal of the postseason at 9:58.
The veteran winger knocked his man off the puck behind the Rangers goal. Marco Mignosa retrieved it and fed Hayes, who had rolled to the left side of the goal.
He fired high glove side to make it 3-2.
“I felt a lot of relief helping my team out,” said the Westland, Mich., native.
Goalie Carter George was rock solid the rest of the way before Mignosa added an empty-net tally to cap the scoring.
Mignosa finished with a goal and an assist while Croskery added a pair of assists.
The Rangers opened the scoring early in the first when the Hounds were caught up ice.
On a 3-on-2, Haeden Ellis found Cameron Arquette all alone in front for a tap-in.
Midway through the second, a Greyhounds turnover in the defensive zone led to Kitchener’s second goal. Andrew Vermeulen made a slick feed to Matthew Hlacar all alone on the left side of the Hounds goal.
“We stopped playing. As simple as that,” Rangers head coach Jussi Ahokas said of his team’s third period problems. “We didn’t go after them for the first 10 minutes of the third. We got passive.”
With three goals in the playoffs, Charron spoke of how he feels “my game is coming back a lot. I have a lot more confidence now.”
Dean said George was “great. We gave up a lot of odd-man rushes and he did exactly what we needed.”
Asked about Game 5, Hayes spoke of how confident his club is.
“We have their number right now and they’re shivering,” he said of the Rangers. “They don’t travel at all and we travel a lot. I’m 100 per cent confident we’re going to win.”
“We kind of have Kitchener in a blender here,” added Charron. “I think we’re going to win Game 5 and bring it back here for Sunday.”
Game 6, if needed, is slated for Sunday (7:07 p.m.) in the Sault.
Should the series go the distance, a seventh game would be played Tuesday (7 p.m.) at the Aud.
“We’re ready to play,” Ahokas said of Friday’s contest. “We have a great opportunity at home.”
Notes:
The Hounds played minus winger Jeremy Martin (upper body), who was injured due to a head check in Game 3.
He’s listed as day to day.
So is centre Chris Brown (upper body), although Dean hinted the veteran could return on Friday. Defenceman Brodie McConnell-Barker (illness) remains week to week.
The winner of this series will face Windsor in the conference finals. The Spits beat Flint 5-3 on Thursday to sweep that series in four straight.
