VIDEO: Greyhounds force overtime with Spirit

The Soo Greyhounds and Saginaw Spirit left the GFL Memorial Gardens with some positives after a key Ontario Hockey League West Division battle on Wednesday night.

Damien Giroux had the overtime winner as the Spirit beat the Greyhounds 4-3 in the lone game around the league Wednesday.

For the Greyhounds, it was a bounce-back game following a disappointing effort on Monday on the road in North Bay while the Spirit rebounded after giving up the tying goal in the third period on a play the team feels should have been whistled dead.

“We had a great game,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “We played 55 really good minutes. When we tied it up, we looked a little nervous.

“I thought we did everything but win,” Dean also said.

In overtime, with Jaromir Pytlik, Tanner Dickinson, and Ryan O’Rourke on the ice for the Greyhounds, the Spirit won a faceoff in the Sault zone amd the puck eventually found its way to Giroux in the right circle. Giroux hesitated initially before beating Greyhounds goaltender Christian Propp for the game-winner.

“I blew it,” Dean said. “I put a young guy in a tough spot, and we should have had another player on the ice. That’s a coaching mistake. The guys knew their assignments and what they should do. One of the guys got picked, we didn’t make the read. I feel really bad for the kids.”

For the Spirit, the game-tying goal, off the stick of Greyhounds defenceman Holden Wale, came on a delayed penalty call. With the Greyhounds moving the puck, it was played by a Spirit player but wasn’t blown dead. Moments later, Wale tied the game for the Greyhounds.

“I liked that our guys bent but didn’t break,” Spirit coach Chris Lazary said. “We responded well when they (tied the game). All of a sudden we had some urgency in our game and took a little bit of control down the stretch and had a lot of opportunities to win it in regulation.”

“It’s a great learning moment for our group,” Lazary added. “Calls aren’t going to go our way every night. You have to move by it quick or it’s going to burn you.”

Giroux finished the night with a pair of goals. Ilya Solovyov assisted on three goals for the Spirit while Blade Jenkins added a pair of helpers.

Jake Goldowski and Cole Coskey also scored for Saginaw.

Spirit goaltender Tristan Lennox made 35 saves.

“He was outstanding,” Lazary said. “In his mind, I don’t think he’s loved his start to the season, but he’s liked his last few games. He’s given us a chance to win every night. He’s made four or five saves every night that you think are in the net but aren’t and that’s why we’re winning games.”

Propp made 24 saves for the Greyhounds.

“He was good,” Dean said. “He probably wants the first one back, but he made some huge saves.”

Wale had a goal and an assist for the Greyhounds.

Cole MacKay and Billy Constantinou, playing his first game with the Greyhounds after being acquired from the Kingston Frontenacs on Tuesday, also scored.

The Greyhounds record sits a 5-4-1-0 heading into a pair of weekend home games. The team is set to host the Barrie Colts on Saturday night and the North Bay Battalion on Sunday afternoon.

The win improves Saginaw’s record to 6-4-0-1.

Notes: Greyhounds defenceman Ryan O’Rourke was one of seven defencemen named to the team that will represent the OHL in the Canada-Russia series in November.

The team includes four goaltenders, seven defencemen and 14 forwards.

Rookie defenceman Jacob Holmes was among 66 players named who will comprise three Canadian entries in the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Medicine Hat, Alta. and Swift Current, Sask. in November.