Gameday Preview: Greyhounds host Generals

It will be a battle of first-place hockey clubs on Saturday night as the Soo Greyhounds host the Oshawa Generals at the Essar Centre.

The game marks the second of just two regular season meetings between the two clubs.

The Greyhounds and Generals last met at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa on Oct. 20 where the Generals skated away with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Greyhounds. Cole Cassels had the shootout winner for the Generals while Scott Laughton picked up a pair of goals in the win. Michael Dal Colle and Bradley Latour chipped in with a goal and an assist each. Sergey Tolchinsky scored twice for the Greyhounds while Tyler Gaudet added a goal and an assist. Nick Pastorious also scored for the Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds are coming off a 4-3 loss to North Bay at the Essar Centre on Wednesday night. Blake Speers had a pair of goals for the Greyhounds in the loss while Jared McCann also scored. Tolchinsky set up all three goals for the Greyhounds. Barclay Goodrow had two goals and an assist for North Bay in the win.

Oshawa is coming off a 4-2 loss in Sudbury on Friday night. Daniel Altshuller made 34 saves in the loss while Cassels and Colin Suellentrop scored for the Generals. Nathan Pancel had two goals and an assist for Sudbury in the win.

The Generals hold a comfortable 14 point lead atop the OHL’s East Division with a 24-8-0-2 record. The Generals also hold top spot in the Eastern Conference, 10 points ahead of the second-place Sudbury Wolves.

Meanwhile, the Greyhounds remain in top spot in the OHL’s West Division with a 21-8-0-3 record, good for 45 points and a four-point lead over the Windsor Spitfires in the division.

Other action around the OHL on Saturday includes (home team listed first):

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

Puck drop on Saturday night is set for 7:07 p.m.

****
TEAM LEADERS

Goals: SSM: Sergey Tolchinsky – 18; OSH: Scott Laughton – 24
Assists: SSM: Sergey Tolchinsky – 36; OSH: Michael Dal Colle – 33
Points: SSM: Sergey Tolchinsky – 54; OSH: Michael Dal Colle – 56
Penalty Minutes: SSM: Darnell Nurse – 58; OSH: Hunter Smith, Colin Suellentrop – 55