OHL Soo Greyhounds

Greyhounds Bit in Road Trip Opener; Streak Ends in Niagara

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


ST. CATHARINES, ON- After ten consecutive wins, the play of the Soo Greyhounds caught up to them.

Despite running the table following the first weekend in January, the way in which the club found those victories led to them being victim of a very good Niagara IceDogs team.

"We scored six goals tonight and we played the way we have been playing, it just caught up to us. It's game like this are the reason why I'm unhappy after winning 7-1 (victory over Mississauga) by getting out chanced. These are the habits that creep up and tonight it caught up to us" began Head Coach Sheldon Keefe.

"People wonder, players wonder, why I'm upset when we've won ten in a row, it's because i spend a lot of time watching our team play, and I like to think i have a pretty good handle what our issues are and it's inevitable that those issues would catch up to you. Did we play poorly tonight? We played the way we have been playing you just played against a good team" he emphasized.

Starting off their latest road trip the Hounds found themselves in a 2-0 deficit by the 6:26 mark of the first period but dug themselves out courtesy of four consecutive goals.

Responding just twelve seconds after falling behind by two, a goal by HAYDEN VERBEEK (4) was followed up with goals by BLAKE SPEERS (21), JUSTIN BAILEY (30) and BRYAN MOORE (16) to take a 4-2 lead.

The Hounds would cap off the period being shorthanded late in the frame and received some timely saves by goaltender JOSEPH RAAYMAKERS closing into the final minute as the Hounds escaped with the two goal lead after twenty minutes.

"He got hung out to dry. They get 20 shots in the second period, 37 shots in forty minutes" said Keefe.

"A sixteen year goalie in there who's battling his *ss off. You give up 37 shots in two periods, what's going on in the game has nothing to do with goaltending" he explained of his 1st-year goaltender following the game.

Niagara made it a one goal game after a video review at 8:59 of the seocnd period confirmed their third goal of the game, a power play maker by Vince Dunn.

That was the start of four combined goals between the two teams in a span of less than two minutes resulting in a 6-4 Greyhound lead.

Hounds goals were tallied by NICK RITCHIE (22) and ZACH SENYSHYN (14).

The Senyshyn goal, the Hounds sixth of the game, saw starting IceDogs net minder Brando Hope (6 goals against on 21 shots) relieved by Brent Moran and came as the Hounds scored twice on just four shots in the opening twelve minutes of the second period.

Goasls by Carter Verhaeghe and Jordan Maletta saw Niagara sitting with a 7-6 lead through forty minutes.

The Hounds had some early chances while killing off an IceDogs man advantage, including a 2-on-1 and while they didn't capitalize they held Niagara off the scoreboard further.

Despite seventeen shots for, and five against in the third, the Greyhounds would be forced to pull their goalie in an effort to tie the game.

With 1:47 to play the IceDogs Billy Jenkins netted the empty net goal capping off Niagara's 8-6 victory over the Hounds.

"We have very little interest, for the most part, in defending" began Keefe capping off his post-game comments."

"I thought some guys played hard, some guys played with a lot of urgency, blocked shots and did all they good.� The process in which we played was very poor" he concluded.

The loss dropped the Hounds to 37-10-0-2 on the season.

ATTENDANCE - 4,157

RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1- NIA, Carter Verhaeghe

2- NIA, Athony DiFruscia

3- NIA, Billy Jenkins

To view the online scoresheet courtesy of the Ontario Hockey League CLICK HERE.

GAME NOTES;

*Greyhound scratches were; 2 Mercier, 6 White, 39 Dupuy

*Niagara's 44 shots were the most the Hounds have allowed all season while the 8 goals against tie the most allowed by the club (2nd time)

UP NEXT;

The Hounds road trip continues tomorrow night - Friday, February 6 - when they travel to the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvannia (7:00 p.m.)

The top two teams in the Western Conference, the Hounds and Otters, meet for the second and final time of the regular season.

The last time they met was way back on October 24th in Sault Ste. Marie, where the Otters skated to a 6-4 victory.

Tune in for the LIVE radio broadcast on Rock 101 (101.3 FM, www.rock101.net) beginning with the Bay Mills Resort & Casino's pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.

Check out the Soo Greyhounds Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 6, 2015


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