Gameday Preview: Greyhounds and IceDogs wrap up season series

The Soo Greyhounds end a five-game homestand on Saturday night as they face the Niagara IceDogs in Ontario Hockey League action at the Essar Centre.

Saturday night marks the second of two meetings between the two clubs this season.

The Greyhounds and IceDogs last met on Nov. 14 in St. Catharines.

Jared McCann scored three times and set up another goal as the Greyhounds picked up an 8-4 win. Michael Bunting,

Andrew Fritsch and Sergey Tolchinsky had a goal and two assists each in the win.

Carter Verhaeghe and Eric Ming each scored twice for Niagara.

For full details from the game, click here.

Verhaeghe and Brendan Perlini, who has ties to Sault Ste. Marie as his parents are Sault natives, are among the OHL’s top scorers. Verhaeghe, with 42 points, is sixth while Perlini is 11th with 40.

Greyhounds forward Sergey Tolchinsky is one point ahead of Perlini among the league leaders with 41 points in 26 games.

The Greyhounds are coming off a Friday night shootout win over the Ottawa 67’s at the Essar Centre. Tolchinsky had the shootout winner for the Greyhounds while David Miller also scored in the game. Full details can be found here.

For video highlights of the game Friday night click here.

Niagara is coming off a 6-4 loss in Sudbury on Friday night. Eric Ming had a goal and an assist for Niagara in the loss. Verhaeghe and Matt Gillard set up two goals each while Perlini Aleksander Mikulovich and Anthony DiFruscia also scored.

Saturday’s game will also be the first game at home for former Soo North Stars forward Cody Caron, who was drafted by the IceDogs last spring.

Other games on Saturday night include:

• Erie vs. Mississauga (7:00 p.m.)
• Belleville vs. Kingston (7:05 p.m.)
• Peterborough vs. London (7:05 p.m.)
• Windsor vs. Sarnia (7:05 p.m.)
• Saginaw vs. Oshawa (7:11 p.m.)
• Barrie vs. Kitchener (7:30 p.m.)
• Owen Sound vs. Plymouth (7:30 p.m.)

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TEAM LEADERS
Goals: SSM – Sergey Tolchinsky: 15; NIA – Carter Verhaeghe, Brendan Perlini: 16
Assists: SSM – Sergey Tolchinsky: 26; NIA – Carter Verhaeghe: 26
Points: SSM – Sergey Tolchinsky: 41; NIA – Carter Verhaeghe: 42
Penalty Minutes: SSM – Darnell Nurse: 49; NIA – Anthony DiFruscia: 66