Greyhounds unimpressive in win over Sting

Following a loss in Windsor on Sunday, Soo Greyhounds coach John Dean said it was up to the players to decide what kind of team they wanted to be.

Did they want to be a championship contender or one happy with winning some big games every now and then?

For one period on Monday afternoon, it looked as though the players had chosen the former. The team jumped out to a 3-1 lead through one period in what was eventually a 7-3 Ontario Hockey League victory over the Sarnia Sting in Sarnia.

The end of the first period was where that effort ended though.

“Great first period. Rest of the game? Not impressed at all,” Dean said when asked how his team responded Monday after Sunday’s setback.

Did they show what kind of team they wanted to be in Monday’s win over the Sting?

“Not even close,” Dean said.

After the strong start to the game, Dean said there was little to like from his team in the final two periods against the Sting.

“Our first period was good and then we started falling apart,” added defenceman Andrew Gibson.

“That can’t be a trend this late in the season,” Gibson added.

Gibson said that in Monday’s game was one in which “guys wanted their cookies (points) tonight.”

“Against weaker teams, we let up a little bit and start cheating a little bit and we can’t do that,” Gibson said.

Dean said just winning hockey games isn’t what matters to him most at this point in the season.

“All that matters at the end of game 68 is that we’re playing the right way and right now we’re not playing the right way,” Dean said.

With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Dean admitted that “there is reason for concern” with the recent play of the team minus Friday night’s win over the London Knights.

“These guys have to realize that there’s only one way to play,” Dean said. “There’s an illusion of choice in anything you do in life. There’s only one way to achieve your goal and right now, I don’t like our decision-making on that front.”

Dean also spoke of the Greyhounds recent play trending in a direction in which the team plays differently at points when things are seemingly coming easy to them.

“The trend is that after the fast start, when there’s a perception that things are going to come to us potentially easy, we take our foot off the gas and play completely the wrong way,” Dean said.

Dean said a discussion will be had with the roster’s leaders about how to pull through.

“It’s time for leadership to step up and we’ll talk to them and guide them in the right direction,” Dean said. “If not, I have no problem taking it in my own hands and time on ice will reflect guys that want to play the right way.”

The Greyhounds opened the scoring as Gibson sent the puck to the net from the right wing and it handcuffed Sarnia goaltender Nick Surzycia to make it 1-0 Greyhounds at 11:17 of the opening period.

The visitors proceeded to make it 2-0 15 seconds later when Julian Fantino took a pass in the left circle from Gibson after he circled the net. Fantino proceeded to beat Surzycia high glove side after taking the pass.

Just 19 seconds after that, Travis Hayes in tight scored on a rebound after Arttu Karki’s initial shot was stopped by Surzycia.

Sarnia got on the board before the end of the period as Sean Doherty scored on a rebound after he was stopped initially on a partial break by Sault goaltender Landon Miller at 16:21. Doherty grabbed a turnover at the Sarnia blueline by Greyhounds overage forward Jack Beck to start the play.

The Greyhounds made it a 4-1 game early in the second period as Gavin Hayes tried to hit Beck going to the net with a pass, but the feed deflected off a Sarnia player and past Surzycia 37 seconds into the frame.

Fantino picked up his second goal of the day at 3:14 as he beat Surzycia from the slot high stick side.

Lukas Fischer then scored for the Sting on the power play, beating Miller with a one-timer on a pass from Marko Sikic at 16:54. Fischer beat the rookie netminder from the slot high stick side on the play.

Sarnia made it a 5-3 game at 5:29 of the third period when Zach Filak took a pass near the Sault blueline from Carter Kostuch, stepped past Matthew Virgilio in the slot and beat Miller with a backhand in close.

Near the midway point of the period, the Greyhounds went up 6-3 as Christopher Brown took a pass from Brady Martin on a 2-on-1 and beat Surzycia at 8:28.

The Greyhounds capped off the scoring with just under six minutes to go as Jordan D’Intino beat Sarnia goaltender Karsen Chartier on a redirection in tight of a pass from the right corner from Fantino.

Chartier entered the game in place of Surzycia with just under 10 minutes to go in the final period.

Fantino finished the day with two goals and an assist for the Greyhounds in the victory.

Gibson added a goal and an assist while Caeden Carlisle and Jacob Frasca assisted on a pair of goals each for the Sault.

Miller made 25 saves.

Filak had a goal and an assist offensively for the Sting.

Surzycia made 25 saves on 31 Sault shots in just over 50 minutes of work in the loss. Chartier faced a pair of shots the rest of the way in the third period, making one save.

With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 36-16-2-1 and pull to within four points of the Saginaw Spirit for top spot in the West Division though the Spirit have a game in hand on the Greyhounds after being off on Monday.

Saginaw is scheduled to return to action Wednesday night when they host the Flint Firebirds.

Monday’s win officially clinched a playoff spot for the Greyhounds.

Sarnia, battling with the Flint Firebirds and Erie Otters for positioning in the OHL’s Western Conference, fall to 22-29-3-1 with the loss.

Sarnia sits four points behind Flint for the final playoff spot and five points behind Erie.