McKenzie: Hounds ‘want to win for each other’
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
Having recently lived it, Quinn McKenzie has a pretty good idea of what it takes to win a championship.
And he believes the Soo Greyhounds have the necessary ingredients.
“Everybody is unselfish. Guys want to win for each other,” said McKenzie, whose club continues preparations for the start of the best-of-seven, Western Conference semifinals against the Kitchener Rangers.
The Hounds are slated to leave on Thursday for Friday’s opening game at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (7 p.m.). Game 2 goes Sunday (7 p.m.) in Kitchener before the series shifts to GFL Memorial Gardens for contests on Tuesday and Thursday (both at 7:07 p.m.) of next week.
In his first OHL season, the 18-year-old (2007 birth year) centre is fresh from tasting great success at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, an elite private boarding school in Faribault, Minn.
Last season, with McKenzie playing a leading role, Shattuck-St. Mary’s captured the USA Hockey Tier 1, 18U national championship.
The native of Cranberry Township, Pa., signed with the Greyhounds as a free agent and wasted little time making an impact. He finished the regular season third in team scoring with 21 goals, 30 assists and a plus-minus of plus-12 in 65 games.
“Winning a championship last year was a really-cool experience,” said McKenzie, who posted a 1-2-3 stat line and a plus-3 in five playoff games against the London Knights.
Along with lauding the Hounds talent, he also believes the intangibles needed to win titles are present.
“If you’re not on your (offensive) game, you want to bring a strong defensive game,” McKenzie began. “You have to work your butt off, every shift, every game as if it’s your last. Everybody wants to help the team. That’s what I see with this group.”
The speedy, five-foot-nine, 175-pounder, spoke of how he can’t wait for the conference semis to begin.
Asked about the keys to defeating the Rangers (47-14-5-2), tops in the conference in the regular season, McKenzie talked about the need for the fifth-place Greyhounds (39-23-1-5) to be consistent.
“Each game, we’re going to have to have a good 60 minutes,” McKenzie began, while pointing out how he and his teammates have shown that in spurts this season. “It’ll come down to how badly we want it. We have all the tools as players and we’ll get all the tools we need from our coaches.”
McKenzie also discussed the need for the Greyhounds to limit turnovers, to avoid defending 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 breaks, and to stay above the puck.
“I know Georgie will do his thing,” he said of veteran netminder Carter George, who posted a 1.41 goals against average and a .942 saves percentage against the Knights. “If we make fewer mistakes, I think we’ll be successful.”
Having relied heavily on the line of Brady Martin between wingers Marco Mignosa and Jeremy Martin, and the top defensive pairing of Chase Reid and Lukas Fischer, the Hounds are well aware of the need for contributions up-and-down their lineup.
When it comes to providing secondary scoring, McKenzie is excited for the role he and linemates Travis Hayes and Justin Cloutier will be required to play.
“We’re really determined,” he said of the speedy trio, also known to bring a high level of intensity to the work place. “We really have to dial in, have a good, 200-foot game and don’t give up much. If we can put some in the back of the net, that would really be helpful to the team.”
Asked about Cloutier and Hayes, McKenzie said he loves how hard both compete on every shift.
“They are two guys you want to be with in the playoffs,” he added. “You know how badly they both want to win. They’re the definition of team guys.”
McKenzie has a future commitment to play hockey at Penn State University.
Saying he’s loved his time with the Greyhounds and playing in the Sault – “It’s been as great as I could have imagined,” he offered – McKenzie said he’ll “probably” return here next season.
“I think it would be best for my development to come back and play in the OHL next season,” he added. “The Sault has become another home for me this year. I’m just not 100-per-cent sure.”
But before making that decision, he has business to attend to.
“If you can’t get super excited for the playoffs, then something’s wrong with you,” McKenzie said.
