OHL Soo Greyhounds

Committed Hounds Power Past Otters

February 6, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


ERIE, PA - In Sheldon Keefe's eyes it was the best effort from his team this season, and who could argue.

Twenty-four hours after seeing a ten-game winning streak come to an end after allowing eight goals against, his club skated into Erie and handed the Otters a 6-1 defeat while padding their lead at the top of the Western Conference back to 5 points (although Erie holds a game in hand).

"It was our best effort of the season, no doubt" he began.

"It's the best we've played and the most committed to the play. Every single guy today was on board and did what we asked of him. There are still areas of the game that can better but that's a team (Erie) that's going to force you into some mistakes" Keefe added.

From the drop of the opening face-off the Hounds were poised in all area's of their game.

ZACH SENYSHYN would open the scoring 6:53 into the first period. Skating deep to Devin Williams left, the Hounds winger sent the puck to slot and it would deflect off a sliding Otter and in for the 1-0 lead.

That goal came on the same sequence and moments after Connor McDavid had a chance at the Hounds end of the ice.

Hounds net minder BRANDON HALVERSON kept the one goal cushion shortly after after Erie kept a Hounds clearing attempt in and the keeper would make a sprawling glove save, one of his ten in the period.

ANTHONY DeANGELO would then start his offensive night stepping into the circles and roofing a shot past the glove hand of Williams staking the Hounds out to a 2-0 lead at 10:19.

SERGEY TOLCHINSKY and MICHAEL BUNTING picked up the assists.

The Hounds staked their lead to three, when the puck came out from the Erie goal and COLTON WHITE rushed in before backhanding home his 4th goal of the season at 13:39.

Erie would have the lone poweplay in the first and wasted little time.

Just seven seconds into the man advantage Connor McDavid moved the puck from Halverson's left to right where Nicholas Baptiste put home his 19th goal of the year and the first period ended in favour of the Hounds 3-1.

Moving into the second period the Hounds regained their three goal cushion early.

With just 1:04 gone in the period and on their first shot of the frame, ZACH SENYSHYN drove the net and drove home a feed from BRYAN MOORE to make it a 4-1 Greyhound lead.

ANTHONY DeANGELO picked up the second assist on the play.

Playing with the three goal lead any time Erie would press, the Hounds were there to respond including BRANDON HALVERSON.

One of the biggest saves of the period for Halverson came as a turnover saw Nick Betz in front only to be turned aside by the pads of the Greyhound net minder.

"I thought he was battling. We made some mistakes and they generated some chances like we knew that they would and he was great" said Keefe of his netminder.

"Certainly the score could be much different had he not played that way. He was the goalie that we needed him to be today. He like everyone else was on their game" he added.

Then at the midway point of the period, the Hounds cycle game hit a high, as the team was able to make two consecutive changes while keeping Erie stuck inside their own zone.

SERGEY TOLCHINSKY would later score for the first time in six games, at 15:03 with the Hounds on a 5-on-3 man advantage.

ANTHONY DeANGELO moved the puck from the left point to the side of the goal and Tolchinsky didn't falter in staking the Hounds to a 5-1 lead through two periods.

The third period would see the two sides working a total of four power plays through the opening ten minutes of the game and there the Hounds would score the lone goal of the period.

On their second power play of the period MICHAEL BUNTING redirected a shot from ANTHONY DeANGELO in tight for his 23rd goal of the year and increasing the Hounds lead to 6-1.

Over the final ten minutes the Hounds would keep their emotions in-check and HALVERSON kept Erie at bay the rest of the way en-route to the Hounds 38th victory of the season (38-10-0-2).

ANTHONY DeANGELO (1g, 3a), ZACH SENYSHYN (2g), MICHAEL BUNTING (1g, 2a) and SERGEY TOLCHINSKY (1g, 1a) all recorded multi-point nights for the Hounds.

ATTENDANCE- 6,150

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