Fronts fire four against flat Hounds
Story and photo by soogreyhounds.com | Post-game audio provided by Brad Coccimiglio (Sootoday.com)
KINGSTON, ON-
While both teams were missing regular components of their rosters, it would be the Kingston Frontenacs overcoming the obstacle on Friday Night as they scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Greyhounds four to one.
The Hounds entered the second game of the weekend roadtrip minus Keigan Goetz (upper body), Bryce Yetman (lower body) and Tim Gettinger (upper body) while Kingston skated minus two players due to injury (Duchesne, Brown) and four others who are looking to make their respective World Junior Hockey Championship squads (McKeown, Crouse, Lammikko, Watson) for the upcoming tournament.
“They came hard, we kind of sustained a little bit in the first period but there was no push back or no reaction to get better throughout the game. We were pretty stagnant and that was throughout our line-up” began Hounds Head Coach Drew Bannister.
“I can’t really pinpoint one guy that played really stood out for me that played well tonight. Halvy held us in but throughout our forward and D there was no one really that came to play tonight” he added.
Both sides would skate through the majority of the first period scoreless while trading off quality chances.
For the Hounds, ZACH SENYSHYN handled the play to the middle of the ice before sending a pass to BLAKE SPEERS who found iron, while later in the frame Warren Foegele was robbed in the slot by netminder BRANDON HALVERSON.
In between those two moments of the period HAYDEN VERBEEK got the last stick on a MEDRIC MERCIER point shot to give the Hounds the 1-0 lead through the opening period.
Kingston ould tie the game at 1:49 of the second period when Ted Nichol fired a shot through bodies and over the left shoulder of Halverson to bring things to even terms.
Quickly thereafter MORGAN FROST saw the puck go past his stick while staring at a wide open cage of Lucas Peressini, avoiding the Hounds regaining the lead.
After Ryan Verbeek and Jared Steege worked two chances with under seven minutes to Kingston would fire two quick goals to take the lead.
Jason Robertson converted on a breakaway at 17:55 before redirecting a shot in front less than a minute later as Kingston led 3-1 after two periods.
Despite back-to-back powerplays in the first five minutes of the third period, the Hounds failed to generate the required offence to mount any form of a comeback.
In the second half of the period BRANDON HALVERSON stood his ground keeping the Hounds in the game denying Ryan Verbeek not once, but twice, after he took the puck off the wall and to the Greyhound goal.
Robertson would cap off the three goal night with forty-five seconds to play firing a shot into the empty net (goalie pulled for the Hounds) to cap off the victory for Kingston.
“No. You always search for answers but what we do is reflect a little bit and watch some video. For me, we had no answer. They (Kingston) just kept coming hard, not that they continued to get better, they just kept their momentum coming and forechecked us hard” said Bannister when questioned about what went wrong after the Hounds have played so well in their previous meetings.
“We certainly didn’t want to work or engage ourselves to work too much to get ourselves into a hockey game or get ourselves motivated to play at that time” he concluded.
The loss dropped the Hounds back below the .500 mark at 13-14-3-0 on the season.
ATTENDANCE – 3,519
RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1-Jason Robertson, KGN
2-Stephen Desrocher, KGN
3-Liam Murray, KGN
To view the complete game summary CLICK HERE.
UP NEXT;
The weekend for the Hounds concludes on Sunday, December 13th with their lone regular season visit to the Nation’s Capital against the 67’s.
Game time is set for 3 p.m.
Fans can tune into the action beginning with the Bay Mills Resort & Casinos pre-game show on Rock 101 (101.3 FM, www.rock101.net) beginning at 2:30 p.m.
This game will also be simulcast on Country 105 (105.5 FM)
