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Soo Greyhounds

Dominant Second Period Paves Way for Hounds over Wolves

October 9, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


SAULT STE. MARIE, ON- A dominant second period defined Wednesday Night for the Soo Greyhounds in more ways than one.

While holding their opposition, the Sudbury Wolves, to a single shot along with firing twenty-six shots themselves, the locals skated past their Northern Rivals 6 to 1 in their second meeting of the season.

It was a night that saw the return of both JARED MCCANN (from mono) and JEAN DUPUY (NHL/AHL camps) to the Hounds line-up.

It didn't take long for the first good scoring chance of the game, as just forty-seven seconds in, Brody Silk was on the receiving end of a turnover in the Hounds zone leaving BRANDON HALVERSON to get in the game early, and make one of his 10 saves of the period.

MICHAEL BUNTING matched that chance five minutes later when his hard work resulted in a great scoring chance on Troy Timpano for the home side.

The two goalies started the same way they did the two team's first meeting of the season, making save for save and keeping the game scoreless early on.

Sudbury would open the scoring though while shorthanded at the 12:59 mark.

Nathan Pancel broke in on Halverson and was turned aside with a glove stop initially before depositing a low puck for a 1-0 lead for the visitors.

That lead lasted less than three minutes before JARED MCCANN's one-timer beat Timpano at 15:33 to tie the game. Assists went to SERGEY TOLCHINSKY and KYLE JENKINS on the powerplay goal.

Halverson would be called upon as the buzzer sounded ending the period, and the Northern Rivals skated tied 1-1 through the first period.

And by the Hounds response in the second, some may have thought their was a stern message in the first intermission, but that was not the case.

"Not a lot really. We just highlighted the fact that we weren't doing the things we wanted to do. I thought we were a little soft on the puck and we lost a lot of battles in the first period so we touched on that a little bit" began Hounds Head Coach Sheldon Keefe.

"We reminded them that we weren't doing the things we wanted to do."

But things changed in dramatic fashion in the second period.

MICHAEL BUNTING gave the Greyhounds their first lead of the game 3:52 into the period finishing off a nice three-way passing play with BLAKE SPEERS and MEDRIC MERICER for his 4th goal of the season.

Bunting's goal came after he started the period using his speed and breaking in on an early shorthanded opportunity.

"I thought it was Bunting's best game of the season that he's played so far. He had a lot of life today, made plays, scored with a great shot that really got us going" said Keefe when asked about the second-year forward post-game.

From the drop of the puck in the middle period, the Hounds were buzzing and would quickly increase their lead again.

A GUSTAV BOURAMMAN shot would go off Wolve's defender Jeff Corbett at the 6:02 mark increasing the lead to 3 to 1.

The Greyhounds domination in the period was highlighted later in the period when a string of two to two-and-a-half minutes saw the locals permanently positioned in the offensive zone.

MEDRIC MERCIER notched his 1st-career OHL goal with just under seven minutes to play when he kept the play inside the Wolves zone, found the opening before sliding the puck under Timpano to make it a 4-1 Greyhound lead.

And as good offensively as the Hounds were, they were defensively.

With under five minutes to go in the period, TYLER GANLY led the penalty kill by leading him and his teammates as they zeroed in on the puck behind the Greyhounds net eliminating a Sudbury man advantage without surrendering a shot.

It wasn't until the clock showed just over a minute remaining that BRANDON HALVERSON saw his first shot of the period as the Hounds outshot Sudubry 26 to 1 in the period.

TYLER HORE increased the Hounds lead to a 5-1 mark with ten seconds to go in the period snapping a shot through a crowd, after the Hounds won the draw, and past Timpano for the four goal lead.

The goal came on the Hounds 40th shot of the game.

"It started to click. We were harder on the puck that was one of the things we did highlight (earlier in the night)" explained Keefe.

"To me we haven't played a good period of hockey this season. We haven't played a period I've been overly happy with. I thought today in that second, you could sense it was starting to come all the things we wanted to do. We have been a little bit frustrated as a coaching staff because we haven't had, not that we expect to have periods like that, but we haven't been in control the way we want to be" he continued.

Powerplays to both sides seemed to take some wind out of the sails, and play of game in the third period leaving the only goal to the final seconds.

With ten seconds to play, CHARLEY GRAASKAMP rounded out the scoring notching his 1st goal of the season, with assists to KYLE JENKINS and TYLER GANLY.

The win improved the Hounds to 5-0-0-0 on the early OHL season.

SHOTS ON GOAL

Sudbury - 11-1-416

Sault Ste. Marie - 14-26-1252

ATTENDANCE - 3,929

RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1- SSM, Jared McCann

2- SSM, Medric Mercier

3- SSM, Jean Dupuy

The home stand continues for the Hounds with a pair of games later this weekend.

Saturday, October 11th features a rematch of the 2013 and 2014 opening round playoffs for the locals versus the Owen Sound Attack (7:07 p.m.).

Before the weekend concludes on Sunday, October 12 with the first, of two, visits by the London Knights. Puck drops at 2:07 p.m.

Tickets for both games are available and can be purchased in person at the Essar Centre Box Office 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, or 10 a.m. till game time both Saturday and Sunday.

Fans can also make their purchase online at www.essarcentre.ca or by phone at 1-866-775-9422.

Check out the Soo Greyhounds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 9, 2014


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