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OHL Soo Greyhounds

Spits Come Back over Hounds

March 8, 2013 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Soo Greyhounds News Release


WINDSOR, ONTARIO- The return of Nick Cousins to the line-up on Thursday wasn't enough to overcome the problems the Windsor Spitfires have given the Hounds over the course of the 2012-13 season.

Entering with a head-to-head record of 1-3-0-1 versus the Spits this year, the Hounds surrendered seven of the games final nine goals before falling to Windsor 7-4 in front of an announced crowd of 5,341 at the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

The Hounds let an opportunity to pull within a point of Guelph (who held 5th in the Western Conference) slip away, while their opposition kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

In the early going TYLER GAUDET and MICHAEL SCHUMACHER created some early Greyhound chances, meanwhile TRENT MALLETTE started the game with an energized and physical presence for the Hounds.

Exactly three minutes into the first period, JARED MCCANN tipped a COLIN MILLER point shot past Jaroslav Pavelka for a 1-0 lead.

Just 40 seconds later, BRANDON ALDERSON skated to the middle of the circles before letting a shot go that Pavelka's glove got a piece of, before crossing the line and the Hounds held the early 2-0 advantage.

To that point the Hounds success saw them score twice on their first four shots of the game.

NICK COUSINS appeared to have increased the lead to three goals with 5:56 gone in the period getting a stick on a shot that was quickly waved off by the officials deeming the play was high sticked in the goal leaving the Hounds lead at 2-0.

Windsor would come close during a Hounds penalty-kill when Kerby Rychel found Remy Giftopoulos who was turned aside by the pad of JUSTIN NICHOLS .

Five seconds after returning to five-on-five play Rychel got a piece of a point shot that slightly tagged the post before cutting the lead to 2-1.

Then while shorthanded, at 11:08, Brady Vail evened the score being sent in all alone and tucked the puck low on the Hounds netminder erasing the deficit, and tying the game 2-2 after twenty minutes.

On their first powerplay of the second period, the Hounds were able to keep the play inside the Windsor zone for the full duration before capitaling at the 4:49 mark.

Firing off the left point, RYAN SPROUL notched his 20th goal of the year to regain the Hounds a 3-2 lead.

Kerby Rychel, shorthanded, and TYLER GAUDET while even strength provided each side breakaway opportunities that failed to change the score.

But then in a span of four minutes and five seconds, Windsor changed the tide of the game.

Josh Ho-Sang was found in front at 11:21, Ben Johnson was relentless in front before batting the loose puck past Nichols at 13:47 and then Remy Giftopoulos took advantage of the puck from near the goal line to Nichols left to string together three straight goals and Windsor's first lead of the game, 5-3.

It was the Windsor's third goal that Hounds Head Coach Sheldon Keefe felt was the turning point of the game.

" I wasn't happy to be even at two (goals each) and later give up the lead, but for me the turning point was their 3rd goal after we regained the lead. It was an unacceptable goal to give up defensively. It seemed to rattle Justin and he never recovered" the coach explained.

Following Windsor's 5th goal, NICHOLS was replaced by MATT MURRAY as a result, leaving him with five goals against on nineteen shots faced.

MCCANN responded for the Hounds twenty seconds later scoring his 2nd of the night, and 19th of the season to cut the lead to 5-4.

Later in the period, MCCANN had a chance to pull even after a Windsor powerplay expired. Send in on a breakaway, MCCANN was turned aside by the glove hand of Pavelka in one of his 39 saves on the night.

That chance, and other's throughout the game should have been enough for the Hounds to be successful according to Keefe when asked if the Hounds generated enough chances on the night.

"We generated more than enough offence to win the game but clearly didn't finish enough of those opportunities . With that said, as a team if we score four it should be enough for us to win a game every time. The onus is on us to better defensively. Coaches, players, goalies, we all have to be better."

And while RYAN SPROUL later one-time a feed from COUSINS, and Alexander Khokhlachev beat Murray, but not the clock, as time expired before the puck crossed the line, Windsor held a 5-4 lead through two periods.

Starting the third period with more jump than the Spits, the Hounds kept their opponent to a single shot through the opening 6:30 of the third period, but failed to pull any closer.

The game would remain in Windsor's favour until the final five minutes where they would cash in further.

Kerby Rychel fired home a centring feed at 16:51 to extend the Spitfire lead to 6-4.

With an offensive zone face-off in the dying minute, the Hounds used their timeout and subsequently pulled Murray for the extra attacker.

After failing to hold possession Windsor broke out of their zone 3-on-1, before Nick Ebert's shot from the point went into the empty net sealing the eventual 7-4 victory over the Hounds.

The loss dropped the Hounds to 34-23-1-3 on the season through sixty-three games played.

They will now head into Guelph on Friday for a rematch with the Storm. Puck drops at the Sleeman Centre at 7:35 p.m. and the Bay Mills Resort & Casino pre-game show kicks off on Rock 101 at 7:05 p.m.

"We need to tighten up defensively and need more saves" concluded Keefe in preparation for Friday Night.

RED STAR THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1- WSR, Brady Vail

2 - WSR, Kerby Rychel

3 - WSR, Alex Aleardi

ATTENDANCE - 5,341

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2013


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