Hounds work overtime to end skid

MISSISSAUGA -- The Soo Greyhounds had to work some overtime here on Friday night but it led to good results after a 4-3 road victory over the Mississauga IceDogs on Friday night.

The first game of a three-games-in-three-nights road trip saw the Greyhounds open up a 3-0 lead, only to see the IceDogs fight back and tie the game late. Scott Restoule, who had a solid night in being named the game's first star, then had an opportunity to become the game's hero.

A solid first period, in which the Greyhounds outshot the IceDogs 13-5, saw the Hounds open up a 2-0 lead. Brett Halstead opened the scoring at 5:28 when his point shot handcuffed Mississauga goaltender Aaron Barton. Later in the period, Kyle Wharton scored on the man-advantage when his point shot found it's way through a crowd and past Barton.

The Hounds had a number of other chances to increase the lead further including Restoule hitting the post on the power play and Chris Lawrence being stopped on a partial breakaway.

In the second period, the Greyhounds continued to hold an edge territorially but the IceDogs were battling back and working themselves back into the game.

Brad Good gave the Hounds a 3-0 lead when he potted his first goal of the season with the two teams playing four-on-four.

Frankie Santini got the IceDogs on the board at 12:14 when he beat Hounds goaltender Kyle Gajewski just five minutes after IceDogs captain Cody Bass fought Hounds veteran Jacob King. Late in the period the IceDogs had an opportunity to cut the lead to one goal but Luca Caputi was turned aside by Gajewski.

In the third period, Mississauga did cut the lead to one goal when Justin DaCosta fired a point shot through a crowd and past Gajewski at 6:05. Gajewski, who was solid when called upon, made a pair of big stops midway through the period on Michael Swift and Cody Bass. Late in the period Oskar Osala got the IceDogs on even terms at 17:55 with a power play goal.

In overtime, Restoule became the hero. The 18-year-old forward, who also had two assists in the victory, got the Greyhounds over the hump and put the IceDogs away for good. Just 1:09 into the final frame Restoule got the puck in the IceDogs zone and wrapped the puck around and past Barton to give the Hounds their first win in five starts.

"In the last ten games we were only 1-9 so this weekend we need to get six spots against teams that are the same as us in the standings," said Restoule. "We need to go though our systems and work hard."

"We came out strong in the first period which was good," Restoule added. "We just need to learn together as a group to play and compete for a full 60 minutes.We had a few mental lapses, but coach Hartsburg told us to keep our composure and relax."

"We pretty much dominated the first 35 minutes of the game," added Hartsburg. "We haven't had a lot of success lately in leads and I think we started watching the scoreboard instead of keep playing. To (the players credit), they came back and got the two points."

Hartsburg also commented on the play of Gajewski, saying the veteran made big saves when called upon even with the limited amount of action he saw over the visit.

The Hounds continue their road trip Saturday night when they play at YardmenArena and face the Belleville Bulls in a 7 p.m. start. The road trip wraps up on Sunday evening when they face to Oshawa.

The Hounds next homestand will kick off Wednesday Nov. 23. when they face the Sarnia Sting.