Greyhounds force a seventh game (video)

The Soo Greyhounds have the London Knights on the ropes.

Going against all odds, the Greyhounds have stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to force a seventh game in the Ontario Hockey League western conference semi-final.

On Sunday afternoon at the Steelback Centre in front of 4,797 fans, the Hounds scored a 5-4 victory over the Knights to set up a one-game showdown on Monday night in London with the best-of-seven series tied at 3-3.

Click here to view SooToday.com video highlight reel

Game seven begins at 7 p.m. at the John Labatt Centre with all the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the heavily favoured Knights.

The Greyhounds know better than most that a comeback of this magnitude is possible. There are still some players on their roster that suffered the 3-0 collapse to the Windsor Spitfires in the 2005 playoffs.

Coach Craig Hartsburg and players refuse to dwell on the past but the experience might have already and could help the Greyhounds complete a comeback of their own.

In OHL history, only the Spitfires and the 1988 Ottawa 67's, who beat the Oshawa Generals, have rallied from 3-0 deficits in a seven-game series.

In game six, the Greyhounds once again received a spirited effort from goaltender Kyle Gajewski, who was forced to make several quality stops throughout the game.

Aside from the usual stellar games from the veteran core of the team, the Hounds rookies continue to step up and make the valuable contributions needed for the team to succeed.

Chris MacKinnon scored twice, Jacob Lalonde set up two goals and was physical force throughout while defenseman Jacob Muzzin was solid and continues to improve with each game.

At the other end of the ice, the Knights continue to struggle.

London shooters look to be frustrated by Gajewski, the Hounds' physical play and their stifling defense. Steve Mason, who was recently named the league's goaltender of the year, has been struggling since game three and was pulled after two periods on Sunday.

Jordan Foreman opened the scoring for London in the first period but MacKinnon and Dustin Jeffrey each roofed shots over Mason's shoulder to give the Hounds a 2-1 lead before the end of the frame.

Early in the second period, MacKinnon pounced on a loose puck on the power play and Cody Thornton followed with a bad angle shot that deflected off a body in front and into the net to put the homeside ahead 4-1 by the 7:44 mark.

London responded with a goal from Corbin Crawford on a blast from the point before Brad Good tipped home a Matt Lyall pass on a two-on-one break while playing three-on-three to restore the Hounds three-goal lead at 5-2.

In the final period, the Knights capitalized on a pair of chances given to them by the Hounds. David Meckler finished the play after Tyler Cuthbert send a blind clearing pass straight up the middle of the ice and Sam Gagner notched a power play marker with 3:04 remaining and the goaltender pulled.

London pressured down the stretch and pulled their goaltender once again but the Hounds were able to keep them off the board.

Lyall assisted twice in the game while Scott Aarssen assisted three times for the Knights with Patrick Kane and Sergei Kostitsyn setting up two goals each.

Gajewski faced 30 shots while London's tandem of Mason and Stephane Cesar saw 38 shots.

The Hounds penalty killing duo of Brandon MacLean and Andrew Desjardins continued to shutdown the Knights attack and generated several quality chances of their own offensively.

London finished the game 1-for-9 on the power play and the Greyhounds 1-for-10.

Defenseman Michael Quesnele was a healthy scratch for the third straight game for the Hounds.

Click here to view SooToday.com video highlight reel