VIDEO: Greyhounds hold off Colts comeback bid

A return home helped the Soo Greyhounds overcome a two-game losing streak.

After snapping the skid on Friday night with a win over the Windsor Spitfires, the Greyhounds skated to a 4-3 Ontario Hockey League victory over the Barrie Colts on Saturday night at the Essar Centre in a game the team was ultimately please with.

“I was happy with our game overall,” said Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister. 

The Greyhounds took advantage of a lull in the Colts game in the second period to take a 3-1 lead and would overcome a pair of early Barrie goals in the final period to pick up the victory.

“We lulled a bit in the second period,” said Barrie Coach Dale Hawerchuk. “We got watching them in the second period and forgot about our game. Once we got that back, we had good momentum and had our chances to get ahead in that game.”

Bannister would call the Greyhounds second period “outstanding.”

“And in the third period we were good, (Barrie) just scored on their opportunities,” Bannister added. 

Tim Gettinger paced the Greyhounds offensively with a goal and two assists. Jordan Sambrook and Rasmus Sandin added a goal and an assist each. Mac Hollowell had the other Greyhounds goal, converting a feed from Morgan Frost in the third period on what would be the game-winning goal. Frost finished the night with two assists.

Matthew Villalta made 19 saves for the Greyhounds.

Colts goaltender Leo Lazarev was busy in the contest, making 31 saves. 

“I said (before the game) that the goalies were going to have to make some good saves in this game and they played really well,” Hawerchuk said.

“If it wasn’t for (Lazarev), that game could have been a blowout,” Bannister said. 

Dmitry Sokolov had two goals and an assist for the Colts. Andrei Svechnikov added a goal and an assist for Barrie.

The Colts lost the services of defenceman Joey Keane early in the second period after the veteran blueliner was hit with a game misconduct during a scrum. 

Hawerchuk said following the game that something was said during the scrum that resulted in the penalty but did not have details.

The Greyhounds were set to depart after Saturday’s game to head as far as Gaylord ahead of Sunday’s weekend finale, a 5:30 p.m. puck drop in Saginaw against the Spirit.

The Greyhounds enter the contest with a 39-5-2-1 record and remain comfortably ahead of the Sarnia Sting, who also won on Saturday night, in the OHL’s West Division standings. 

Barrie, in a battle with the Niagara IceDogs in the Central Division, drop to 27-17-2-1 and sit third in the Eastern Conference after the IceDogs passed them with a victory on Saturday night.

In other action around the league on Saturday night, in Ottawa, Jason Robertson scored at 4:27 of overtime to lift the Kingston Frontenacs to a 5-4 win over the Ottawa 67’s. Gabriel Vilardi paced the Frontenacs with a goal and four assists. Robertson scored a pair of goals. 

In Hamilton, Will Bitten had a goal and two assists as the Hamilton Bulldogs beat the Oshawa Generals 5-1. Oshawa goaltender Cole Ceci had a busy night, stopping 36 of 41 Hamilton shots.

In Erie, Cam Dineen had a goal and an assist as the Sarnia Sting beat the Erie Otters 4-1. Sarnia goaltender Aidan Hughes made 29 saves.

In Flint, Logan Brown and Adam Mascherin had two goals and an assist each as the Kitchener Rangers beat the Flint Firebirds 5-3. Kole Sherwood assisted on four Kitchener goals. 

In Saginaw, Jake Goldowski scored a pair of goals as the Saginaw Spirit beat the Windsor Spitfires 6-5. Jake Smith had a pair of goals for the Spitfires. 

In Sudbury, Akil Thomas and Johnny Corneil had a goal and an assist each as the Niagara IceDogs beat the Sudbury Wolves 6-2. 

In Owen Sound, Ethan Szypula’s goal at 18:26 of the second period was the game-winner as the Owen Sound Attack beat the Guelph Storm 2-1. Alan Lyszczarczyk assisted on both Owen Sound goals. Guelph goaltender Nico Daws made 45 saves.