Six different goal scorers pace Greyhounds

It was a game filled with mistakes and the Soo Greyhounds managed to come out on the positive end.

The Greyhounds opened up a 3-1 lead through 20 minutes and beat the Sarnia Sting 6-5 in Ontario Hockey League action at the Essar Centre on Friday night.

Both coaches spoke following the game of the mistakes on both sides that turned the contest into a high-scoring affair.

“There were a ton of mistakes,” said Sarnia Coach Derian Hatcher. “It wasn’t clean at all and they ended up on the better side of it.”

“There were a lot of mistakes either way,” Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister said.

Hatcher would say he felt the Sting did a good job of forcing the Greyhounds defencemen.

“We pressured their defencemen,” Hatcher said. “They like to hold onto the puck and make the cute plays.”

Bannister said he didn’t feel the Greyhounds defencemen “weren’t very sharp as a corps.”

“(The Greyhounds defencemen) made uncharacteristic decisions with the puck and it caused us some headaches,” Bannister said. “It’s unusual for the group. Sometimes we’ll have one guy struggling.”

Hayden Verbeek, Tim Gettinger, Bobby MacIntyre, Boris Katchouk, Mac Hollowell and Noah Carroll scored for the Greyhounds while defenceman Conor Timmins assisted on three goals. Zach Senyshyn added a pair of helpers.

Bannister credited the Sting for forcing the Greyhounds to adjust its style of play in the game.

“They forced us to dump pucks and it’s uncomfortable for us,” Bannister said. “We had to put pucks behind them and go get it.”

“They clog the neutral zone and it makes us uncomfortable because we have to spot pucks behind them instead of carrying it into their zone,” Bannister also said.

Justin Fazio got the start in goal for the Sting but was pulled after surrendering five goals on 20 shots.

Hatcher would say that “we needed a stop or two early in the game.”

“Momentum is everything,” Hatcher also said. “It felt like we were chasing it all game.”

Aidan Hughes came in and made 24 saves the rest of the way.

“Aidan came in and played great,” Hatcher said.

Defenceman Jeff King had a goal and three assists to pace the Sting offensively. Drake Rymsha added two goals and an assist. Franco Sproviero and Anthony Salinitri also scored for Sarnia.

Greyhounds goaltender Matthew Villalta made 22 saves.

Bannister would say Villalta’s play has earned him more playing time, saying he hasn’t decided who will start on Sunday afternoon.

“That gives us time to get Joseph (Raaymakers) back to where we want,” Bannister said.

Bannister would say the Greyhounds discipline was an issue in the contest as well.

“Our discipline wasn’t very good, which doesn’t usually happen but it made the game closer than it needed to be,” Bannister said, adding that it wasn’t a concern going forward because “discipline has never been an issue with our team.”

The Greyhounds improve to 40-15-2-1 and, with 83 points, move three points ahead of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL’s West Division after the Spitfires lost on Friday night.

Sarnia, in a battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, falls to 26-26-5-1.

The Greyhounds eight-game homestand wraps up on Sunday afternoon against the North Bay Battalion. Puck drop at the Essar Centre is set for 2 p.m.

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OTHER SCORES

In Flint, Jake Durham had two goals and an assist as the Flint Firebirds doubled up the North Bay Battalion 6-3. Nicholas Caamano added a goal and two assists for Flint. Everett Clark had a goal and an assist while Maurizio Colella and Michal Steinocher also scored for the Firebirds. Adam Thilander had a goal and an assist for North Bay. Kyle Potts and Andy Baker also scored for the Battalion.

In Kington, Eemeli Rasanen’s goal at 6:30 of the third period held up as the game-winner as the Kingston Frontenacs beat the Niagara IceDogs 302. Jeremy Helvig made 32 saves for Kingston. Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for the Frontenacs. Sam Field had the other Kingston goal. Aaron Haydon and Akil Thomas scored for Niagara.

In Mississauga, a six-goal third period paced the Mississauga Steelheads to a 10-1 win over the Peterborough Petes. Michael McLeod had three goals and three assists to pace Mississauga offensively. Spencer Watson added two goals and two assists for the Steelheads. Vili Saarijarvi and Jacob Cascagnette chipped in with a goal and an assist each. Austin Osmanski, Nathan Bastien and Marcus Dickerson also scored for Mississauga. Logan DeNoble had the lone goal for Peterborough.

In Ottawa, Kody Clark’s goal at 15:07 of the third period was the game-winner as the Ottawa 67’s beat the Oshawa Generals 3-2. Clark finished the night with a pair of goals. Artur Tyanulin chipped in with a goal and an assist. Noel Hoefenmayer assisted on a pair of goals for the 67’s. Allan McShane scored both goals for Oshawa.

In Sudbury, Owen Lalonde’s goal at 11:42 of the third period was the winning goal as the Sudbury Wolves beat the Barrie Colts 6-5. Aiden Jamieson and Liam Dunda had a goal and two assists each for the Wolves. Dmitry Sokolov added a pair of goals for Sudbury. MacAuley Carson chipped in with a goal and an assist. Ben Hawerchuk had two goals and an assist for Barrie. Anthony Stefano had a goal and an assist while Jason Willms and Kyle Heitzner also scored for the Colts.

In Guelph, a 44-save performance from Anthony Popovich helped the Guelph Storm to a 4-2 win over the Erie Otters. James McEwan scored a pair of goals for Guelph while Liam Hawel added a goal and an assist. Nate Schnarr had the other Guelph goal. Ryan Merkley and Albert Michnac assisted on two goals each for Guelph. Alex DeBrincat and Kyle Pettit scored for Erie.

In London, Tyler Johnson made 36 saves as the London Knights beat the Windsor Spitfires 4-1. Sam Miletic had a goal and an assist for London while Mitchell Stephens, Janne Kuokkanen and J.J. Piccinich also scored. Hayden McCool had the lone goal for Windsor.

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AROUND THE OHL

Windsor Spitfires forward Cristiano DiGiacinto was suspended by the Ontario Hockey League on Wednesday for 10 games.

The suspension came as the result of a hit by DiGiacinto on Guelph Storm forward, and Sault Ste. Marie native, Nic Sicoly on Feb. 19. Sicoly left the game but did return/

“We’re persuaded that he did not intentionally target the head,” OHL Vice-President Ted Baker told the Windsor Star. “He didn’t leave his feet or put his elbow up but there is contact to the head.”

DiGiacinto began serving his suspension on Thursday night.

On Thursday London Knights forward Max Jones was suspended 10 games by the league after he received a major penalty for a cross check on Owen Sound Attack forward Jonah Gadjovich on Feb. 17.

Also on Wednesday, the Guelph Storm announced that General Manager Mike Kelly is stepping down from his position when his contract expires at the end of May.

Kelly has decided to relocate to the Niagara region to be closer to his children and grandchildren, according to Storm President Rick Hoyle.

“It is an honor to be General Manager of the Storm. I am extremely grateful for the support of the Storm ownership group; fellow staff members, arena staff, billets, teachers, fans, sponsors, media, and particularly the players and their families,” Kelly said in a prepared statement.

“My wife and kids have been very supportive and accepting of the 80-90 hour weeks and the time away from home associated with being the General Manager of a major junior hockey team,” Kelly added. “However, I now have a unique opportunity to spend quality time with my wife, kids and grandkids, and at this stage in my life, I no longer want to put that opportunity on the back burner. A new general manager will also bring a new perspective to the Storm organization – a perspective that can be very healthy in building on the talented foundation of the youngest team in the OHL.”

Kelly joined the Storm prior to the 1991-92 season when the team moved to Guelph and remained with the organization until he joined the NHL’s Calgary Flames as its Amateur Scouting Co-ordinator in 1997. Kelly returned to Guelph in November 2010.