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OHL Soo Greyhounds

Kopacka, Frost, Tokarev Combine for 6 Pts over Ottawa

October 30, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


SAULT STE. MARIE, ON- Confidence has been building among the Soo Greyhounds, and on Friday Night it would shine through as the team fought back from a tie game midway through the third to take the victory over the Ottawa 67's.

After seeing the lead they had held most of the game evaporate in less than a minute, the club scored three times in the final 9:41 of the third period to defeat Ottawa 5-2.

"To me what I see, is kind of what we have seen the previous two games. They're starting to believe in themselves, they are starting to believe in what we are trying to teach them and they are sticking with the process" began Head Coach Drew Bannister.

"I saw a lot of positives on the bench where maybe two weeks it wasn't there. Even when they tied it up I heard we got this guys, we'll take care of it. That's a positive to me. When guys are sticking up for other guys" he continued

The fast paced first period opened with three Grade A scoring chances on the Hounds first three shots of the game.

Just forty-five seconds into the game the Hounds skated in on a 3-on-2 that ended with BRYCE YETMAN finding iron.

Then seconds later ZACH SENYSHYN had Ottawa golatender Leo Lazarev down but was unable to get the puck up, and over.

Shortly thereafter COLTON WHITE shot hit a body and dropped, where BORIS KATCHOUK fired a shot only to be robbed by the right leg of Lazarev denying the Hounds early on.

JACK KOPACKA would open the scoring in the game when he snuck the puck through the legs of a Ottawa defender and skated in on the left side before finishing the play and firing home his 6th goal of the season.

The lone assist went to MORGAN FROST, and the Hounds led 1-0.

The Hounds held the lead through the opening twenty minutes and held the opposition to just three shots for the majority of the period before eventually outshooting them 10-5 in the period.

Early in the second (2:34) the lead would be extended to a pair of goals.

MORGAN FROST stripped his man of the puck before sending the pass to the high slot to MAKAR TOKAREV who recorded his second career OHL tally and gave the Hounds a 2-0 lead.

Frost, who was later named the games Red Star 1st Star of the Game had helpers on the Hounds first two goals of the game.

That line was asked about, and praised by Head Coach Drew Bannister.

"They were great for us. They're generating offence, they got a lot of confidence and they're doing a lot of good things" he began.

"I'm confident in them and they probably feel that, and I'm able to put them out there against other team's older lines" he added.

Ottawa's Connor Graham hit iron, as Ottawa was unable to generate offence among just twelve shots through two periods as the Hounds led 2-0 after forty minutes.

With two late penalties going to Ottawa in the second and one in the opening minute of the third, the Hounds held a lengthy 5-on-3 to start the period.

The 67's penalty kill would weather the storm and it would later pay off for them, all-be-it, temporarily.

Jeremiah Addison received a pass from the corner and fired over the right shoulder of BRANDON HALVERSON to cut into the Hounds lead before Artus Tyanulin finished off a give-and-go after the 67's stripped a Hounds defender and all in a span of 43 seconds tied the game at two.

The two teams stayed even for under two minutes before ZACH SENYSHYN regained the Hounds lead.

Defenceman CONOR TIMMINS fired a shot from the right point that was tipped in front by SENYSHYN as the Hounds took at 3-2 lead at 10:19.

For Timmins, that marked his 1st career OHL point.

Then at 14:03, GABE GUERTLER got ran over while appearing to try and stay onside, and with the puck free and open, BORIS KATCHOUK jumped to possession and drove the net before putting home his 6th goal of the year for a 4-2 lead.

"I loved Boris' goal. The track by Zach Senyshyn, just coming back hard, finishing, they turn the puck over we go the other way and Boris gets rewarded because of it" said Bannister.

Ottawa would pull their goalie with 3:15 to play in regulation time and with the empty net at the visitors end of the ice the Hounds would seal their fate.

TIM GETTINGER made the pass to ZACH SENYSHYN who would score for the second time on the night, this time into an empty net, as the Hounds skated to the 5-2 home ice victory.

The win pulled the club back to the .500 mark with a record of 6-6-2-0, good for 14 points.

"We won all the loose puck battles. We got to pucks first and we need to use our speed" said Bannister.

"We did a great job early beating guys one-one-one down low and opening up opportunities where we had 2-on-1's at the net. We had some great opportunities" he concluded.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 30, 2015


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