SmartStop Post Game Recap – Steelheads Battle to the End in Narrow Defeat to the Greyhounds
Sault Ste. Marie, ON – The Steelheads came up just short in their visit to the Soo, falling 4-3 to the Greyhounds in a closely contested affair that came down to the final minutes.
Brampton’s northern road trip made its second stop in the Soo, as the Trout looked to put last night’s close defeat behind them and get back in the win column.
The Steelheads started the quicker of the two teams, pinning the Greyhounds in their own zone in the opening exchanges, and almost finding an early opener through Justin Bottineau, who was unlucky to hit the crossbar.
At 9:24 into the period, the puck fell the way of Bottineau once again and the Steelheads forward made no mistake that time, as he fired it past the Greyhounds’ goaltender and gave Brampton an early lead.
The fast-moving period continued in favour of Brampton, as they controlled the time of possession and got the majority of the offensive chances. Justin Bottineau found himself in front of goal for the third time in the period, but was unable to get it past Noah Tegelaar.
Zach Bowen was the less busy of the two goaltenders, but was still solid when called into action in the later parts of the frame.
The opening period concluded with Brampton leading 1-0 and outshooting the Greyhounds 12-6.
The 2nd period saw a shift in initial momentum, as the hosts started with more energy and gained control early; however, Bowen was up to the task in goal and swept away any hint of danger, maintaining Brampton’s lead.
It took until the halfway point of the period for the game’s first powerplay to finally come, as Soo’s Chase Reid was sent to the box for slashing.
Brampton made the most of their first powerplay opportunity, as Gabe Chiarot scored to double the lead for Brampton. Chiarot tipped Mason Zebeski’s shot-pass into the roof of the net and gave the Trout some much-needed breathing room in the game.
The Chiarot insurance goal proved to be important as Soo’s Quinn McKenzie finally found a way past Bowen with 5 minutes left in the 2nd period, cutting the lead back down to 1.
The Steelheads were headed to the final period with a slender 1-goal lead until Troy Patton found the goal in the last minute of play, restoring the 2-goal lead and giving Brampton a 3-1 lead into the 3rd period.
However, that 2-goal was quickly erased in the final period, as Soo scored in the opening 2 minutes to make it 3-2 and then cashed in on their first powerplay of the game to tie it at 3-3.
A game of swinging momentum with back-and forth action reached its final 15 minutes with 3 goals apiece and the 2 points still hanging in the balance.
The Greyhounds continued to apply the pressure, but Brampton settled into the period and got some big saves from Zach Bowen to keep the score tied into the final minutes of the period.
After firing 14 shots in the period, Soo finally found a way past Bowen and took their first lead in the game with just 3 minutes remaining.
Brampton pushed for an equalizer in the final minutes, forcing Tegelaar to make a few crucial stops; unfortunately, the time ran out on Brampton as they were flipping the momentum back in their favour.
The game ended 4-3 in favour of the Greyhounds as the Steelheads fell just short in the close battle up north.
The northern road trip continues for Brampton on Sunday afternoon, as they head to Sudbury to face the Wolves.
3 Stars
- Quinn McKenzie
- Gabriel Chiarot
- Noah Laus
Shots on Goal
SOO – 34
BRAM – 28
