Special teams success lifts Greyhounds to season-ending win

Special teams became the difference as the Ontario Hockey League regular season came to a close on Sunday afternoon for the Soo Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds scored four power play goals and another shorthanded in a 6-3 victory over the London Knights at the Essar Centre.

In addition to going four-for-10 on the power play, the Greyhounds killed off six of London’s eight power plays in addition to the shorthanded marker. The London power plays included a long 5-on-3 in the third period.

“Our power play was good today and obviously our penalty kill did a good job when we needed it in the third period on the five-on-three,” said Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister.

Noah Carroll, Morgan Frost, Joe Carroll and Barrett Hayton had a goal and an assist each for the Greyhounds. Hayden Verbeek also scored for the Sault.

Defenceman Conor Timmins set up a pair of goals.

Facing his former team for the second time in a month, Tyler Johnson made 23 saves for the Greyhounds and was solid late in the game with the Knights on a two-man advantage.

“Tyler did a good job,” Bannister said. “He was good in the third period.”

Overage forward Tyler Rollo paced the Knights with a goal and an assist. Nathan Dunkley assisted on a pair of goals for London.

Evan Bouchard and Josh Nelson also scored for the Knights. Goaltender Jordan Kooy made 34 saves

“We worked our tails off and that’s all you can ask of the kids,” said Knights Coach Dale Hunter.

The Knights finish the regular season with a 39-25-2-2 record and fifth in the Western Conference. The team will face the Owen Sound Attack in the first round of the playoffs, a series that is scheduled to open on Thursday night in Owen Sound.

The Greyhounds will enter the playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference with a 55-7-3-3 record. The team will face the Saginaw Spirit in the opening round of the playoffs after the Spirit lost in Windsor Sunday afternoon.

“It’s nice to be done the regular season and prepare for Saginaw,” Bannister said. “It’s been a long season, but it’s been a fun season for the kids. They’ve played exceptionally well, and we need to take that into the playoffs and get ourselves playing good hockey and playing the right way and just make sure that we get ourselves in the right mindset.”

The series schedule is:

• Game 1 – March 23 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)
• Game 2 – March 25 in Sault Ste. Marie (3:00 p.m.)
• Game 3 – March 26 in Saginaw (7:05 p.m.)
• Game 4 – March 28 in Saginaw (7:05 p.m.)
• Game 5 – March 30 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)
• Game 6 – March 31 in Saginaw (7:05 p.m.)
• Game 7 – April 2 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)

In other action around the OHL on the final day of the regular season, in Mississauga, Ryan McLeod had a pair of goals and an assist as the Mississauga Steelheads beat the Kingston Frontenacs 3-1.

In Ottawa, Olivier Tremblay made 26 saves as the Ottawa 67’s blanked the North Bay Battalion 5-0. Tye Felhaber had two goals and an assist for Ottawa.

In Windsor, Jake Smith had two goals and an assist as the Windsor Spitfires beat the Saginaw Spirit 3-2.

Sunday’s lone other game, between the Sudbury Wolves and Oshawa Generals in Oshawa, was a 6:05 p.m. start and not complete at the time of writing.