Twice as Hounds Down Battalion; Move into 1st
Published on February 8, 2013 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release
With light flurries in the GTA area, the Soo Greyhounds trek to the Powerade Centre became a little delayed on Thursday Night.
What was a fifteen-minute commute from hotel to arena earlier in the day for practice turned into over two hours and fifteen minutes at gametime. As a result the Hounds and Battalion second and final regular season meeting was pushed back to a 7:55 start.
JUSTIN NICHOLS (7-4-1-1) got his 12th start of the season for the Hounds, while Brampton countered with Matej Machovsky for each team's 52nd game of the year.
In the opening minute of the game, Brampton took possession along the left wing before Barclay Goodrow circled the Hounds goal and sent the puck to the slot where Francis Menard knocked home his 17th goal of the year for the early Battalion lead on their first shot of the game.
The Hounds took control quickly thereafter and would even the score before the game was seven minutes old.
DARNELL NURSE fired a shot from the left point at 6:48 that was redirected gloveside on Machovsky by DYLAN STAPLES to even things at one courtesy of his 12th of the year.
The shot, and goal was part of a run that saw the Hounds outshoot Brampton by margins of 7-1 and 10-2 in the first half of the period.
BRANDON ALDERSON gave the Hounds the lead with 1:05 to play in the period, skating up the right wing on an odd man rush before firing a high shot home for his team-leading 22nd goal of the year.
Nichols would preserve the lead with 21.3 seconds to play denying Patrik Mahac who found his way around the Hounds defence but failed to pull even with the Hounds lead through twenty minutes of play.
A minute into the second captain COLIN MILLER blocked a shot, while Nichols was down on the play, preserving the lead and avoiding Brampton's early chance.
Midway through the period, and while on the powerplay the Hounds came within inches of increasing their lead when SERGEY TOLCHINSKY was found at the right of the goal, but the puck came near the line but was swiped away before putting the Hounds ahead any further.
RYAN SPROUL's shot was stopped by the toe of Machovsky later, and while holding Brampton to just three shots in the first thirteen minutes of the second, the two team's skated into the second intermission with the Hounds remaining in a 2-1 lead.
Captain MILLER made it a 3-1 Hounds lead 9:40 into the third period putting a low point shot gloveside on the Brampton goal for his 13th of the year then followed it up with a powerplay blast at 14:23 and the locals lead was up to 4-1.
The three-goal third period was capped off by SERGEY TOLCHINSKY with 1:23 to play when he wired a shot from the circle to the left of the Brampton goal and the Hounds scored five unanswered goals en-route to the 5-1 victory.
The Hounds outshot the Battalion in all three periods, and 29-21 overall.
With the victory, the locals won their 5th consecutive game on the road while improving their record to 29-19-2-2, good for 62 points and moved the club into 1st in the West Division and 2nd in the Western Conference.
Plymouth, who holds two games in hand trails the Hounds by a single point, while the Sarnia Sting sit at 61 points in third in the division.
Game two of the Eastern swing goes this Saturday Night - February 9th - when the Hounds make their only regular season visit to the Memorial Centre in Peterborough to take on the Petes.
Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. and fans can hear all the action beginning with the Bay Mills Resort & Casino pre-game show at 6:35 p.m. on Rock 101.
SHOTS ON GOAL
Brampton - 7-9-5=21
Sault Ste. Marie - 11-11-7=29
RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1 - Colin Miller, SSM
2 - Brandon Alderson, SSM
3 - Ryan Sproul, SSM
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2013
- Gens Come up Short - Oshawa Generals
- Rangers Fall 4-3 in Shootout - Kitchener Rangers
- Cobbold, Welsh Quiet IceDogs' Bark - Brampton Steelheads
- Otters Win in Oshawa, 7-4 - Erie Otters
- IceDogs Drop 4-2 Decision in Mississauga - Niagara IceDogs
- Saginaw Spirit Record Road Game Win against Sarnia Sting - Saginaw Spirit
- Generals Offer Ticket Exchange in Response to Weather - Oshawa Generals
- Knights to Bid for 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup - London Knights
- Tonight's 67's Game Rescheduled for Tomorrow Night - Ottawa 67's
- OHL Announces Postponed Games for Friday February 8 - OHL
- Tonight's Game Postponed - Windsor Spitfires
- Game Postponed Due to Weather - Kingston Frontenacs
- Entertainment for All Seasons: Hounds and Crimson Team-Up - Soo Greyhounds
- Friday Night Hockey on Sportsnet Heats up with Five More Matchups Announced - OHL
- Oshawa Mayor John Henry to Drop Puck - Oshawa Generals
- Twice as Hounds Down Battalion; Move into 1st - Soo Greyhounds
- Big Line's 14 Points Leads Spits To Blowout Win Over Petes - Windsor Spitfires
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