Keefe: 'We certainly didn't play a good game'

The old saying is that the sign of a good team is finding a way to win.

For Soo Greyhounds Coach Sheldon Keefe, that may well have been the case on Thursday night as the team opened a stretch of four games on the road.

Thanks to a goal by Michael Bunting with 90 seconds left, and the ensuing empty net goal by Zach Senyshyn, the Greyhounds beat the Windsor Spitfires 6-4 at the WFCU Centre in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday night.

“We didn’t seem too interested in playing today but I guess you could say we found a way to win,” Keefe said. “Some say that’s the sign of a good team. Maybe we’re a good team but we certainly didn’t play a good game.”

Defenceman Anthony DeAngelo continued his torrid scoring pace of late, extending his point streak to 20 games with two goals and two assists, which also gives him 12 points in his last three games.

Bunting chipped in with a goal and two assists for the Greyhounds while Bryan Moore and Jared McCann also scored in addition to Senyshyn’s empty net marker.

Goaltender Brandon Halverson stopped 25 shots.

“It’s a tough game for a guy like him to play when there’s not a whole lot happening in front of him,” Keefe said.

Lucas Venuto and Jamie Lewis had a goal and an assist each for the Spitfires. Patrick Sanvido and Cristiano DiGiacinto also scored.

Spitfires goaltender Alex Fotinos stopped 26 shots.

“We just weren’t engaged and we just didn’t have a lot of interest in playing the game,” said Keefe. “It’s a function of the end of the season, it’s a function of being on the road and having seven guys out of your lineup. It’s not a very good recipe and it’s a tough game to get up for. Combine that with playing a team that’s the polar opposite. They’re playing desperate hockey and trying to make the playoffs. Our guys had to really be engaged and really be alive to be good today and we weren’t.”

The Greyhounds played the game with 16 skaters, including defenceman Mac Hollowell and forward Boris Katchouk, who have joined the team due to the injury situation.

Adding to the existing injuries – which includes Tyler Ganly (knee), Blake Speers (shoulder), Nick Ritchie (concussion), Darnell Nurse (knee) and Justin Bailey (ankle) – the team also received word this week that veteran defenceman Tyler Hore will miss the rest of the season due to a broken bone in his wrist.

“I give them a lot of a pass because it’s a hard game to get up for,” Keefe said. “We look like a minor hockey team around here because we don’t have bodies. I can’t remember the last time we got on a bus to go on a road trip with 18 players, including goalies.

“It’s a really strange dynamic around here right now,” Keefe added.

The team will get second-year forward Keigan Goetz back in the lineup on Friday as Thursday’s game marked the second of a two-game suspension for a slew-footing penalty the 18-year-old received last Friday at home against Windsor.

The Greyhounds have now won 10-straight games for the second time this season, while also having a pair of eight-game streaks earlier in the season.

The Greyhounds improve to 48-11-0-2 as they prepare for the rest of the road trip while Windsor, in a battle with Saginaw and Plymouth for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, falls to 24-33-2-1. With a Saginaw win over Plymouth, the Spirit move two points ahead of both the Spitfires and Whalers.

The road trip continues for the Greyhounds on Friday night when they are in Sarnia to take on the Sting. The road trip takes the team to Owen Sound on Sunday afternoon to take on the Attack.

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OTHER SCORES

In St. Catharines, Vince Dunn’s power play goal at 17:30 of the second period held up as the game-winner as the Niagara IceDogs skated to a 6-5 win over the Barrie Colts. Dunn had two goals and an assist for the IceDogs while Josh Ho-Sang had three assists. Mikkel Aagaard and Anthony DiFruscia had a goal and an assist each while Brendan Perlini set up two goals for Niagara. Carter Verhaeghe and Blake Siebenaler also scored for Niagara, Joseph Blandisi set up four goals for Barrie. Rasmus Andersson had two goals and an assist while Andrew Mangiapane added a goal and two assists for the Colts. Brandon Prophet and Kevin Labanc also scored for Barrie.

In North Bay, Ryan Kujawinski had a goal and an assist as the North Bay Battalion beat the Belleville Bulls 3-1. Mike Amadio and Nick Moutrey also scored for the Battalion while Jake Smith stopped 21 shots. Connor Hicks made 29 saves for the Bulls while Trent Fox had Belleville’s lone goal.

In Peterborough, Eric Cornel had a goal and two assists as the Peterborough Petes beat the London Knights 4-1. Jonathan Ang and Michael Clarke chipped in with a goal and an assist each for the Petes while Josh Maguire also scored. Goaltender Matthew Mancina made 26 saves. Michael Giugovaz stopped 28 shots for the Knights. Brandon Crawley had the lone London goal.

In Plymouth, Dylan Sadowy scored three times to lead the Saginaw Spirit to a 4-1 win over the Plymouth Whalers. Jesse Barwell also scored for Saginaw while goaltender Evan Cormier stopped 22 shots. Sonny Milano had the lone goal for the Whalers. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 shots.

(Photo courtesy Soo Greyhounds)