OHL Soo Greyhounds

Goetz, Bunting, Guertler Score in Hounds Win over Plymouth

Published on November 6, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


SAULT STE. MARIE, ON- It was a step in the right direction.

The Soo Greyhounds never trailed in their first meeting with the Plymouth Whalers before holding on for a 3-2 victory on Wednesday Night.

The win put an end to a two-game losing streak for the club (losses at London and Saginaw) while improving to 11-5-0-0 on the season.

"It's what we've been talking about. You have to start on time and continue it for sixty minutes. Tonight I don't think it was a full sixty minutes but we definitely played the way we wanted to for longer (compared to last weekend). And that's a start in the right direction" said Assistant Coach AJ MacLean when asked post-game about the Hounds quick start.

KEIGAN GOETZ would trigger the club's annual Teddy Bear Toss event opening the scoring 1:56 into the first period.

The New Hamburg, ON product got the play started protecting the puck off the boards to Whalers Alex Nedeljkovic's left and sending a pass back to the blueline.

COLTON WHITE's shot came off the end boards and out front where Goetz deposited his 3rd goal of the season.

The locals would increase the lead just under four minutes later when SERGEY TOLCHINSKY rushed up the right wing and into the Plymouth zone before sending the puck back to MICHAEL BUNTING who's quick shot increased the lead to 2-0.

Near the midway point of the first period the teams traded goals when Plymouth's Francesco Vilardi took a Whaler attempt to the goal before KYLE JENKINS stretch pass to BLAKE SPEERS provided the Hounds a chance to extend their lead further.

Hounds led 2-0 through the first period.

Plymouth would cut the Hounds lead in half just thirty-one seconds into the second period. After an original shot went over the net of BRANDON HALVERSON it would come back out in front to Danny Vanderwiel who deposited his 5th goal of the season.

The visitors attacked off the very next face-off and then held back-to-back man advantages but the Hounds penalty kill was able to negate the Plymouth powerplay while eventually going 5-for-5 on the penalty kill on the night.

Multiple quality scoring chances presented themselves to the Hounds but no better than with 4:50 to go when a backhand pass was sent to DAVID MILLER who was turned aside by the pads of Nedeljkovic.

Seconds later the Greyhounds' JEAN DUPUY and Whaler Yannick Rathgeb engaged in a spirited tilt before spending their five minutes respectively for the fighting majors.

It would be late in the period (16:37) GABE GUERTLER worked up the right wing and past the Whaler defence before slipping home his 10th goal of the season for a 3-1 lead.

For Guertler, the goal also marked the 8th game in the team's last ten that he has scored.

TIM GETTINGER had a wraparound turned aside in the final minutes leaving the Hounds lead at a pair of goals through two periods.

Plymouth would fire a barrage of shots at Hounds netminder BRANDON HALVERSON early in the third period while on the powerplay, seeing no less than eight stops holding the two goal cushion.

They were all part of Halverson's 35 saves on the night.

"For starting off quiet for him in the first period, when the game was on the line at the start of the second in the third he stood tall" commented MacLean about his club's goaltender.

Mathew Campagna brought the Whalers within a goal at 11:25 of the third period converting on a 2-on-1 rush with a shot that Halverson appeared to get a piece of.

A Plymouth powerplay and by subsequently pulling their goalie for the extra attacker gave the visitors a 6-on-4 advantage in the final minutes and seconds but the Hounds would hold on for the 3-2 victory.

"It's a positive step. You can't take huge steps all the time. You just get little bit better every day and today we were just a little bit better and that's all that really matters" said MacLean.

GAME NOTES;

* The Soo Greyhounds would like to thank all the fans that participated and donated items for tonight's Teddy Bear Toss and Stuff-A-Bus event. Your generosity in supporting Christmas Cheer and families in our community is greatly appreciated.

* JARED MCCANN did not dress for the Hounds on Wednesday Night. It was explained as "precautionary" as he had a bad sore throat.

McCann missed the Vancouver Canucks Main Training Camp and the first five games for the Hounds earlier this season due to mono.

ATTENDANCE - 4,066

RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1- SSM, Sergey Tolchinsky

2- SSM, Keigan Goetz

3-PLY, Danny Vanderwiel

Check out the Soo Greyhounds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 6, 2014


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