Rivalry renewed as Greyhounds hold on against Knights

While they admitted it wasn’t a work of art, they’re going to look back on it and be happy to get two points.

In a game featuring two teams that seem to be building up a rivalry, the Soo Greyhounds picked up a narrow 5-4 Ontario Hockey League victory over the London Knights on Sunday afternoon at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

For the Greyhounds, they knew the game wasn’t one of their best.

“We find a way to get two points on a night where I don’t think we had our best,” Greyhounds coach John Dean said of the victory.

Dean called the game one which featured “two teams missing guys, one (the Knights) over there missing four with a clear gameplan to try to drag the game into the gutter.”

“It ends up with what my guess is a huge suspension for their hit on Bryce and that’s just the style of play and the refs mismanaged the game,” Dean said.

The hit in question was a hit by London forward Sawyer Boulton on Greyhounds captain Bryce McConnell-Barker in the slot seconds after the latter had scored for the Greyhounds in the third period.

McConnell-Barker left the game and did not return.

Dean said following the game that the veteran forward was to be evaluated but couldn’t elaborate further on the extent of the injury.

Dean called it a time where “the league has an opportunity to protect their best players.”

“Bryce is a world-class player and it’s a pretty obvious target to the head,” Dean also said.

Asked about the rivalry between he Greyhounds and Knights, Dean spoke of the Greyhounds being a “big-picture team.”

“Our approach this year is ‘We don’t care,’” Dean also said. “We don’t care who is coming in here. It doesn’t matter what colour the jersey is, we’re going to take care of business.”

Greyhounds forward Jack Beck agreed that there is a rivalry between the two teams but added that “we don’t take them any differently.”

Beck also said of the Knights that they “walk around like they’re bigger and better than everyone.”

“That’s kind of their persona and how they walk around,” Beck added, but also said “they can do whatever they want. At the end of the day, it’s who comes out on top.”

Dean called the victory “a real gutty win” for the Greyhounds.

“It was a pretty bland game. I don’t think our game was great, I just thought (it was) gritty,” Dean said.

Beck said he felt the Greyhounds were “sloppy” out of the gate.

“We kind of have a history lately starting a little bit slow,” Beck added. “We got to our game in the second half of the first and in the second (period) we just stuck with what makes us the best team in the league. When we play the way we play, I don’t think anyone can stick with us.”

Members of the Knights coaching staff were not available to speak to the media following the game for comment.

The Knights wasted little time opening the scoring as Isaiah George skated into the left circle, took a pass from Jacob Julien and beat Greyhounds goaltender Charlie Schenkel stick side 19 seconds into the game.

Beck tied the game at 11:13 as he skated into the slot and beat Knights goaltender Michael Simpson with a shot through London defenceman Sam Dickenson.

The Greyhound took a 2-1 lead when Andrew Gibson skated through the slot in close and deflected a pass from Kirill Kudryavtsev past Simpson at 11:47.

London tied the game 26 seconds later when Dickinson went to the net and beat Schenkel on a redirection of a pass from Sam O'Reilly.

The three-goal stretch, beginning with the Beck goal, came with the teams playing four-on-four.

The Greyhounds took a 3-2 lead into the dressing room as Matthew Virgilio beat Simpson on a rebound from the slot after the latter stopped Christopher Brown in the right circle initially. The goal came 28 seconds after London tied the game.

The Knights made it a 3-3 game in the second period as Max McCue scored on a rebound of a shot by Dickinson from the slot at 6:55.

The Greyhounds took a 4-3 lead with 3:39 to go in the second period as Beck went to the net and redirected a pass from Spencer Evans past Simpson.

McConnell-Barker made it 5-3 Greyhounds midway through the third period as he beat Simpson high glove side from the right faceoff circle at 10:45.

London made it a one-goal game with 1:25 to go in regulation as a point shot by Dickinson deflected past Schenkel off Landon Sim in traffic with Simpson on the bench for an extra attacker.

Beck finished the day with two goals and an assist to lead the Greyhounds offensively. 

McConnell-Barker and Virgilio added a goal and an assist each.

Schenkel made 22 saves.

Dickinson had a three-point day for London with a goal and two assists while McCue had one of each.

O'Reilly and Ruslan Gazizov assisted on a pair of goals each for the Knights. 

Simpson made 21 saves.

The Greyhounds have three games remaining prior to the OHL's Christmas break, beginning Wednesday night in North Bay against the Battalion.

The team will then travel to Kitchener on Friday to face the Rangers before wrapping up the trip Saturday afternoon in Guelph against the Storm.

While McConnell-Barker’s status for the road trip is unclear as of Sunday evening, Dean confirmed that overage forward Jordan D’Intino is unlikely to play after an injury suffered on Nov. 29 in a win over Saginaw.

D’Intino skated during practice on Saturday with the team, but in non-contact situations.

Winners of four straight games, the Greyhounds improve to 20-8-2-0 on the season and move seven points ahead of Saginaw for top spot in the OHL’s West Division though the Spirit have three games in hand.

London falls to 17-11-0-1 on the season with the loss.