Greyhounds work overtime to beat Attack (Updated)

After dropping the opening two games of their Western Conference quarter-final series with the Owen Sound Attack, the Soo Greyhounds now find themselves in a best-of-three after winning back-to-back games on home ice.

The second win came on Wednesday night as the Greyhounds beat the Attack 1-0 in overtime to tie the series at two games apiece. Ryan Sproul potted the game winner at 19:12 of overtime to give the Greyhounds the win.

“That was a fantastic hockey game from start to finish,” said Greyhounds coach Sheldon Keefe. “Both teams battled hard. Everything you would want to see in a playoff hockey game was there tonight.”

Said Attack coach Greg Ireland: “That was a hell of a hockey game. It’s just sad that it had to be decided on power plays but at the end of the day sometimes that’s how it is. You have to be able to get back up off the mat. It was a 0-0 game up to that point and that’s how the series has been. I like a lot of things we’ve done. There’s some areas we can improve in and at the same time, we have to keep getting better every day.”

Keefe also addressed the feeling of the players following the game four win.

“You go from a team with no playoff experience, (now) they know how it feels,” said Keefe. “They know how you feel after a game like this. We’ve got ice packs going all over the room. Guys were slouched in their seats. They’re exhausted. I’m incredibly proud of every one of those guys.”

For the Greyhounds, goaltender Matt Murray stopped 36 shots for the shutout.

“He went save-for-save with one of the top goaltenders in the world,” said Keefe. “Every time we had a lapse or needed a save or they got momentum, he was right there and he was calm and confident doing it.”

At the other end of the ice, Owen Sound goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 41 shots in the loss, including 17 in the first period.

“He earned all of his reputation tonight,” said Ireland of Binnington. “He’s a hell of a kid and he’s a leader on our team.”

The series now shifts back to Owen Sound for game five on Friday night. Game six is back at the Essar Centre on Sunday night.
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Tickets for game six go on sale on Thursday morning to the general public and season ticket holders who wish to get tickets but did not purchase a playoff package.

Season tickets that are not picked up by Friday at 5 p.m. will be release to the general public.

Box office hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as Sunday beginning at 10 a.m.

Photo courtesy Jim Egan