‘Not our best game,’ Dean says of Soo victory
by Peter Ruicci (Independent Media) | Photo by Bob Davies
FULL PHOTO GALLERY | GAME HIGHLIGHTS | GAME CENTRE
The Soo Greyhounds scored goals at ambulance speed – four in 10:02 – in the opening period on Wednesday.
Good thing, too.
Because the Hounds did just enough afterward, en route to a 6-2 victory over the Sudbury Wolves in front of 3,488 at GFL Memorial Gardens.
“I’m not disappointed, but that’s not our best game,” said Greyhounds head coach John Dean, whose club snapped a four-game losing skid and takes a 22-14-1-1 record into Friday’s 7:07 p.m. home start against Ottawa. “That wasn’t the brand of hockey we demand. We need to get better and thrive in the second half of the season. But it is a step in the right direction.”
“It’s nice to get the two points. But we know we can be, and have to be, a lot better,” added centre Quinn McKenzie, who opened the scoring for the home team.
Winger Marco Mignosa, who led his team with a goal and three assists, echoed that sentiment.
“As a team effort, tonight wasn’t good enough,” said the club’s leading scorer (15-30-45). “We need to be a lot more consistent.”
Along with their fast start, taking advantage of shaky Sudbury goaltending, the Soo relied on outstanding penalty-killing and superb play by goaltender Noah Tegelaar.
The home team was whistled for all six minor penalties handed out in the final period.
At the 8:50 mark, Tobias Zvolensky was sent off for interference and Chase Reid, making his return after starring for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, was handed a double-minor for high-sticking.
The Greyhounds killed off a 5-on-3 for two minutes, followed by Sudbury’s 5-on-4 advantage for another two minutes.
“We did a pretty-incredible job, especially on the 5-on-3,” said Dean, whose club held Sudbury to just 1-for-8 on the powerplay overall.
The Soo failed to connect on its lone man-advantage opportunity.
“The PK was probably the only good thing we can take from tonight,” said Mignosa, who was joined by McKenzie, Spencer Evans and Lukas Fischer— among others – as key, penalty-kill contributors.
Wolves head coach Scott Barney, whose club fell to 15-22-1-0, wasn’t at all pleased with his powerplay.
“We have to find a way to score 5-on-3,” he said. “We didn’t generate much.”
Dean didn’t appear to be particularly upset about his club’s discipline in the final frame, noting how the Greyhounds must do a better job of controlling their sticks.
As for Tegelaar, Dean said the 19-year-old (2006 birth year), who hadn’t had a start since Dec. 12, joined Mignosa as the best players on the ice.
“That was a heck of a game Noah played for us,” said Dean. “I thought he was phenomenal.”
“Being able to help us end a four-game losing streak and getting back in the win column felt really good,” said the Georgetown, Ont., product.
On a night when the Soo held a 29-23 edge in shots, Tegelaar was asked about the layoff.
“I’ve been working hard in practice and you don’t forget how to play in games,” he said. “I just went back to the simple parts of the game and that made things easier for me.”
At 4:41 of the first, McKenzie notched his 15th of the season from the right circle. The shot trickled through Wolves netminder Bjorn Bronas.
After Tegelaar made a huge glove save on a Kieron Walton breakaway, Reid made it 2-0 with his 15th at 7:33.
He beat Bronas, who struggled mightily on this night, high to the glove side from the left dot.
Just under two minutes later, Fischer scored his first goal in a Soo uniform. His point shot appeared to be deflected by Bronas, before going high into the net.
That was it for the netminder, who was replaced by Karsen Chartier.
Five minutes after the goaltending change, Chris Brown got inside position in front of the Wolves goal before banging home a Mignosa feed.
His 14th goal made it 4-0.
“They won the game in the first period,” lamented Barney. “Three of those are probably goals you’d want back.”
Newly acquired J.C. Lemieux, on a slick redirection in front, got the visitors on the board just :42 into the middle frame.
But 12 minutes later, Mignosa outraced Wolves defenceman Artem Gonchar, swooped in on Chartier, made a nifty move and scored on the backhand.
Mignosa’s 15th gave the home side a 5-1 cushion.
Early in the third on the powerplay, Adam Nemec, with his first career goal, trimmed Sudbury’s deficit to 5-2
After the brilliant PK work by the Soo, Brady Smith notched an empty-netter to complete the scoring.
Reid, Fischer and Brown all contributed a goal and an assist.
Notes: Prior to facing the Hounds, Ottawa carries a league-best 28-7-1-2 record into North Bay on Thursday.
“It’ll be a really-big challenge,” Dean said. “Ottawa is incredible. I have a tremendous amount of respect for (head coach) Dave Cameron.”
“We can’t play the way we played tonight against Ottawa,” Mignosa offered.
The newest Greyhound, netminder Carter George, acquired from Owen Sound on Wednesday, is slated to fly into the Sault on Friday.
However, having not enjoyed a Christmas break while competing at world juniors, Dean said: “We need him to get some mental rest. I don’t think we see him between the pipes (on Friday).”
On Saturday, the Hounds are slated to entertain Niagara (7:07 p.m.).
Jakub Winkelhofer missed Wednesday’s tilt with a lower-body injury. He’s listed as day to day, but the coach doesn’t expect him to play this weekend.
During a radio interview after the second period on Wednesday, McKenzie spoke of how much he loved playing in the Sault.
For that reason, he said, he’s prepared to push back his commitment to Penn State University one year, so as to remain a Greyhound next season.
He would then suit up for the Nittany Lions in the fall of 2027.
