Greyhounds hold on for win (7 photos)

The Soo Greyhounds two-game losing streak is over.

A goal by Gabe Guertler late in the second period lifted the Greyhounds to a 3-2 win over the Plymouth Whalers Wednesday night at the Essar Centre.

The Greyhounds held off a third-period charge that saw the Whalers outshoot the Greyhounds 20-10 and cut the Greyhounds lead to 3-2 in the process

“You’ve got to start on time and you have to continue it for 60 minutes,” said Greyhounds Assistant Coach A.J. MacLean said. “I don’t think it was a full 60 minutes but we definitely played the way we wanted to for longer and that’s a step in the right direction.”

MacLean also said the win is a step in the right direction for a team that has struggled at times of late.

“We weren’t dominant by any stretch but it’s a positive step,” MacLean said. “You can’t take huge steps all the time. You just get a little bit better every day and that’s what we did. We were just a little bit better and that’s all that really matters.”

Keigan Goetz and Michael Bunting also scored for the Greyhounds in Wednesday’s win. Goaltender Brandon Halverson finished the night with 35 saves.

“When the game was on the line in the second and third periods, he stood tall,” MacLean said of Halverson. “He made plays and he made the saves, especially when we needed him. It should boost his confidence.”

Danny Vanderwiel had a goal and an assist while Mathew Campagna also scored for the Whalers.

“I’m happy with the way we competed,” said Whalers Coach Don Elland. “There’s never a good way to lose but at least we played hard and competed. Everybody goes through this (injuries and suspensions). We’re not feeling sorry for ourselves. Nobody should and nobody is. We played hard but just didn’t get it done.”

Whalers goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 shots in the loss.

“Ned’s Ned,” Elland said of his netminder. “We don’t take him for granted but we rely on him. He covers up our mistakes and that’s why we want to compete in every game because with him we’ve got a shot. Even if we don’t score a lot of goals, we’ve got a shot.”

Puck management has become an important facet of the Greyhounds game plan.

“As a group, there are ebbs and flows to every game and what we’re really trying to limit is when the opposition has momentum that we’re really trying to get it back our way quick,” MacLean said. “You’ve got to limit the mistakes and turnovers. If you can manage the puck, it gets the momentum back your way that much faster,”

With the win the Greyhounds record improved to 11-5-0-0, good for 22 points and second spot in the OHL's Western Conference. They lead the second-place Saginaw Spirit by seven points in the West Division.

The Greyhounds homestand continues on Friday night when they host the Belleville Bulls in a 7:07 p.m. start.

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OTHER SCORES

In Belleville, Niki Petti and Stephen Harper had a goal and an assist each to lead the Belleville Bulls to a 5-1 win over the Mississauga Steelheads. The Bulls outshot the Steelheads 44-12 over the final 40 minutes of the game. Remi Elie chipped in with a pair of assists while Jordan Subban, Michael Cramarossa and Matt Luff also scored for the Bulls. Mississauga goaltender Spencer Martin made 52 saves in the loss.

(PHOTO: The Soo Greyhounds celebrate one of their three goals in a 3-2 win over the Plymouth Whalers on Wednesday night at the Essar Centre Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)