Hounds drop fourth straight game

Things just have not been going the right way for the Soo Greyhounds of late.

After returning home from an 0-3 road trip, the Greyhounds dropped a tough 2-1 decision at the hands of the Saginaw Spirit on Wednesday night at Memorial Gardens.

The loss, which is the Greyhounds fourth straight and eighth in their last ten games, leaves the locals sitting at 5-9 on the season.

The Hounds took the play to the Spirit in the opening period and outshot Saginaw 15-7 in the frame, thanks to four power plays on which the Greyhounds could not capitalize.

The Spirit, on the other hand came out of the period with a 1-0 lead as Tom Pyatt scored at 8:24 on the lone Spirit man advantage of the period.

The Greyhounds tied the game early in the second as Brett Halstead knocked a rebound past Spirit goaltender Francois Thuot just 35 second in.

The Greyhounds did have two other quality chances on the power play later in the period but hit the post on both occasions. A shorthanded two-on-one with Tyler Kennedy and Jason Pitton breaking into the spirit zone also led to nothing.

Thuot, who was playing well on the night, left the game at 13:09 of the middle frame as he pulled himself from action. It was noted later in the game that the netminder had been suffering from the flu. Ryan Daniels came in to work the rest of the evening.

Not long after the goaltending change, the Spirit pulled ahead for good and capped off the scoring. Joe McCann put the Spirit ahead 2-1 at 14:30 of the second period and the Spirit held the Hounds to seven third period shots for the victory.

Hounds coach Craig Hartsburg commented following the loss that for two periods the Hounds out-chanced the Spirit but a lacklustre third period did not help their efforts.

"The first forty minutes I thought we had maybe twice as many chances as Saginaw did," Hartsburg said. "In the third period when we need to dig in and be desperate, we didn't get anything accomplished.

"We can't get frustrated," Hartsburg continued. "The first thing that happens when you get frustrated is you stop working. (The players) have to get angry. At some point the players have to get angry. The older guys have to say enough is enough. That has to show in the ice. Everybody's talking and now is the time that you're really going to have to find out about some people. It's time that they get angry with what's gone on."

Hartsburg did say that one positive had been their ability to increase the amount of scoring chances.

"The positive is that they're getting chances," Hartsburg said "They just have to keep bearing down and eventually they'll go in. Some other guys are not getting any scoring chances and that's the problem for them. They have to create more by getting more pucks to the net, and winning more puck battles in the offensive zone."

The win for Saginaw was their fourth straight and the Spirit have now won eight of their last ten games, moving into sole possession of top spot in the West Division, one point ahead of the Plymouth Whalers.

The Hounds played the game without the services of forward Andrew Desjardins, who injured his shoulder on the weekend and did not play in Saturday's road loss in Saginaw. Desjardins may be in the lineup for Friday night's game.

The Greyhounds next action will be on Friday night when they host the Kitchener Rangers in a 7:30 start at Memorial Gardens. The Hounds will complete their three-game homestand on Sunday with a game against the Kingston Frontenacs at 7 p.m.

*** AROUND THE OHL:

AT ERIE: Michael Blunden set an Erie Otters franchise record by scoring two goals just eight second apart in Erie's 8-2 victory over the Mississauga IceDogs. Blunden also had three assists in the victory. Ryan O'Marra had a pair of goals and an assist, rookie Nick Palmieri also had two goals while Tyler McKinley, Andrew Hotham, and Derek Merlini each added a pair of assists in the Erie victory. Jordan Owens had a goal and an assist for Mississauga.