OHL Soo Greyhounds

Hounds Blasted at Home by Whalers

Published on March 14, 2013 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


The Soo Greyhounds may finish the head-to-head regular season with a winning record against the Plymouth Whalers, but Wednesday night the team learned the price you'll pay by not being ready.

Opening their final homestead of the regular season, the Hounds fell behind in the first and were unable to recover for their first shutout loss this year by a score of 8-0.

"I'm embarrassed. It's a worst nightmare in terms of playing in your own rink and how you want a game to go. We weren't ready to play right from the drop of the puck. They get a couple soft 5-on-3 calls that allows them to get into the game, we get our opportunities and because we're not ready to play we have no push back and the game gets away on us" began Head Coach Sheldon Keefe.

In a period that saw the team's combine for ten powerplay opportunities, the visiting Whalers cashed in on a two man advantage near the midway point of the first period.

With a Hound losing a stick on the play, that was later cleared out of the Hounds zone, Plymouth's Mitchell Heard shifted to his backhand in tight before beating MATT MURRAY for a 1-0 lead.

Matt Mistele converted on a shot that handcuffed MURRAY at 13:56, then Vincent Trocheck notched his 49th goal of the season from the left circle at 15:36 to build up a 3-0 lead. Plymouth's third goal came on the man advantage to see them go 2-for-4 on the powerplay through the period.

And while the Hounds would later have a two man advantage of their own, they were unable to respond before ending the frame down a pair of players for the third time in the opening twenty minutes.

"I think it was a bi-product of the fact that our best players were on the ice for the powerplays and our best players weren't ready to play tonight. Our best players were outclassed by their's tonight and when you're not ready to go, you can't make plays, you're on the perimeter" explained Keefe when asked post-game about the powerplay chances his team had, but were unable to convert to get back in the game.

The Hounds would start the second by successfully killing off the two-man Whaler advantage but followed it up by giving Plymouth a quality chance early.

Sebastian Uvira broke in alone, before firing wide on the Hounds goal.

Matt Mistele grabbed his second goal of the game 3:35 into the second when he walked into the circle before sniping a shot glove side to make it 4-0.

Less than three minutes later an odd-man rush saw Mitchell Heard fire a shot as the puck was sent left-to-right on Murray to increase the lead, now to 5-0.

Midway through the frame the Greyhounds best chance of the night may have came from a play between NICK COUSINS and SERGEY TOLCHINSKY, but Whalers Matt Mahalk was there to stop the one-time shot, one of his 29 saves on the night.

The Hounds skated into the dressing room through two periods down 5-0.

Cody Payne broke in on a breakaway 1:07 into the third where he scored his 23rd goal of the season to make it 6-0.

"We're leading the world in breakaways, it really is unacceptable, it's unbelievable." commented Keefe.

Garrett Meurs continued the Whaler onslaught finishing off a play that saw Vincent Trocheck cut in off the left wing before the feed at 12:13 and Mitchell Heard scored unassisted off a breakaway before tucking the puck under Murray's right pad for a 8-0 lead.

Then with just 2:05 to go in the game, Cody Payne was awarded a penalty shot but his low attempt was turned aside.

The buzzer sounded ending the night, and the one-sided affair (8-0) that saw the Hounds fall to 35-25-3-3, 76 points in the West Division.

"We weren't' overwhelmed today, we just weren't ready to play. We made it easy on them, we handed them gifts" continued the Hounds Head Coach.

The Hounds now will step back onto the ice for practice Thursday and Friday before continuing play Saturday Night - March 16th vs the Kitchener Rangers.

Game time is set for 7:07 p.m. and a pre-game ceremony will include, and honour, Team Jacobs who won the 2013 Tim Horton's Brier this past weekend in Edmonton.

Tickets are available at the Essar Centre Box Office starting at 10 a.m. each day leading to the game, online at www.essarcentre.ca or by phone at 1.866.775.9422.

"It's showing them, making them understand its something we control. You control what kind of effort you have, you control where you place the puck, you control the decisions you make on the ice, you control all of that.

That's something you can fix overnight. You just come to the rink and your'e ready to play. We've shown we can do that, we just have to get our heads into place" concluded Keefe when asked bout the club heading into next action and preparations for the upcoming playoffs.

ATTENDANCE- 4,295

RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1- Mitchell Heard, PLY

2- Vincent Trocheck, PLY

3- Matt Mistele, PLY

Check out the Soo Greyhounds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2013


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