Greyhounds pleased with three-point weekend

Despite the result, it may well be a turning point in the Soo Greyhounds Ontario Hockey League season.

The result wasn’t there, but the effort was as the Greyhounds wrapped up a two-game road trip in Windsor Sunday afternoon, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to the Spitfires.

The loss came on the heels of a 4-3 overtime win by the Greyhounds on Saturday night in Flint, MI, a game that the Greyhounds fell behind 3-0 but outshot the Firebirds 45-12 in the contest.

“I think so,” Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister said when asked if the weekend could be a turning point for the team. “It’s been coming for a long time. We’ve been there and finally the last two games, we’ve been able to put together 60 minutes of hockey.”

“Consistency was a big issue with us early on and we’re starting to get to the point where we’re a more consistent team from top to bottom,” Bannister added.

Bannister would also call the road trip a success after securing three of four points.

“We’re disappointed that we’re not walking away (from Windsor) with two points,” Bannister said. “Considering the way the road trip started being down 3-0 after the first period (Saturday in Flint), to come away with three points, you have to be happy with that.”

Gabe Guertler scored both Greyhounds goals on Sunday while goaltender Brandon Halverson stopped 30 shots.

“We competed hard again,” said Bannister. “For 60 minutes we competed hard. Our goaltending was very good. The guys played hard and the game certainly could have gone either way. It was good to see us and where we are now, playing the way that we’re playing. That’s the expectation we have for our club.”

The Greyhounds bench boss added that the weekend could prove something to a Greyhounds team that has lacked confidence at times.

“(The players) realize now that if they play for 60 minutes, they can compete with any team,” Bannister said.

Discipline was also a positive for the most part from the weekend as well, according to Bannister. Despite a pair of what Bannister would call unnecessary penalties on Saturday, the team surrendered just five power plays in the two weekend games.

“We believe that if we play teams five-on-five, we have a great chance to win more hockey games than lose,” Bannister said. “If our specialty teams get better, which we expect that they will be, it can give us an opportunity to win every night.”

Aaron Luchuk had the overtime winner for the Spitfires, scoring 37 seconds into the extra frame. Bradley Latour and Jalen Chatfield also scored for Windsor.

The Greyhounds return to action on Friday night in the opening game of a two-game homestand against the Kingston Frontenacs in the teams lone appearance at the Essar Centre this season. The following night the Peterborough Petes are in town for the only time this season. Puck drop for both games is 7:07 p.m.

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OTHER SCORES

In Mississauga, Jack Flinn made 28 saves as the Mississauga Steelheads blanked the Sudbury Wolves 6-0. Nathan Bastian had a goal and three assists for the Steelheads while Alexander Nylander had two goals and an assist. Michael McLeod also had a three-point night with a goal and two assists. Brendan Harrogate and Owen Tippett also scored for Mississauga. Matthew Menna got the start for Sudbury, stopping 11 of 14 shots in the opening period. Zack Bowman stopped 19 of 22 shots the rest of the way for the Wolves.

In North Bay, Mike Amadio had two goals and four assists as the North Bay Battalion beat the Barrie Colts 7-3. Mathew Santos chipped in with a goal and four assists while Mark Shoemaker, Daniil Verity, Miles Liberati and Zach Shankar also scored for North Bay, who scored five times in the second period. Julius Nattinen, Brendan Lemieux and Ben Hawerchuk scored for the Colts. Rasmus Andersson assisted on all three Barrie goals.

In Owen Sound, Bryson Cianfrone’s power play goal at 4:33 of the third period was the game-winner as the Owen Sound Attack beat the Saginaw Spirit 2-1. Justin Brack also scored for Owen Sound. Goaltender Michael McNiven stopped 22 shots. Saginaw goaltender Evan Cormier made 33 saves while Blake Clarke had the lone Spirit goal.

In Hamilton, Charlie Graham made 37 saves while Niki Petti scored 2:19 into overtime as the Hamilton Bulldogs beat the Peterborough Petes 2-1. Adam Laishram also scored for Hamilton. Eric Cornel had the lone Petes goal, tying the game at one with 1:04 left in regulation time. Goaltender Matthew Mancina made 33 saves.

In Kitchener, the game between the home-town Kitchener Rangers and Erie Otters was not complete at the time of writing.