Hounds find themselves back in a slump

The Soo Greyhounds have become a streaky team.

Unfortunately for local fans, the Hounds have come back home on a streak headed in the wrong direction.

On Wednesday night at the Steelback Centre, the Greyhounds lost their third consecutive game with a 5-4 Ontario Hockey League decision to the Saginaw Spirit in front of 4,350 fans.

Back on October 8, the Hounds ended a two-game winning streak by losing to Oshawa in a shootout before dropping three more to open the Steelback Centre. After knocking down three wins in a row to get back on track, the Hounds have again fallen on hard times.

Against Saginaw, David Kuchejda gave the Hounds a 1-0 lead just 1:44 into the game as Jiri Tlusty fed the winger a nifty backhand pass from behind the net.

Kuchejda played the game with a full face shield after needing several stitches to repair a large gash on his face. Kuchejda took a puck from a Tlusty shot in the face during practise on Tuesday.

Late in the frame, Sault product Zack Torquato put the Spirit ahead 2-1 by beating Kyle Gajewski with a pair of power play goals 2:27 apart in the final three minutes.

In the second period, Saginaw jumped ahead 3-1 as Patrick Asselin scored at 1:28.

With the Spirit in penalty trouble later in the period, Matt Lyall collected a long rebound and beat goaltender Ryan Daniels at 13:41 to cut the lead to 3-2. With under a minute to play in the period, Cody Thornton ripped a one-timer from the slot past Daniels to tie the game at 3-3.

In the final period, the Spirit potted a pair of goals less than two minutes apart as Tom Pyatt and Garrett Sinfield found the back of net for a 5-3 lead by the 6:39 mark.

Tlusty pulled the Hounds to within a goal with 3:27 remaining but it proved to be too little too late.

Dustin Jeffrey recorded three assists for the Greyhounds while Kuchejda and Tlusty picked up one each. Jan Mursak and Jack Combs assisted twice each for Saginaw while Pyatt set up another.

Saginaw outshot the Greyhounds 29-27. Torquato took first star honours while Mursak was named second star and Kuchejda third.

With the loss, the Greyhounds fall back below the .500 mark at 7-8-0-2 for 16 points.

The Greyhounds will have a good opportunity to end the slump on Friday night as the struggling Brampton Battalion, who enter Thursday's game in Windsor on a six-game losing streak, come to town for a 7:30 p.m. start.

Erie visits on Sunday at 7 p.m. to end the three-game homestand.