There’s a lot of positives they plan to take from it.
After a late game-tying goal of their own, the Greyhounds dropped a 3-2 overtime decision on Friday night in Ontario Hockey League action at the GFL Memorial Gardens.
Peterborough forward JR Avon scored at 1:59 of overtime to give the visitors the victory, but the game was one in which the Greyhounds plan to build on moving forward.
“If we play like that, more often than not, we’ll find some success,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean.
“Sometimes you can play well and not win, but if we play like that every game, we’re going to win most of them,” added Greyhounds forward Justin Cloutier.
Forward Jordan D’Intino added “we’re just trying to take steps as a group, and we did that tonight and played well.”
For Dean, the loss was one in which the team likely deserved a better fate.
“We played well enough to win for sure,” Dean said. “We definitely played a game where we could have come out of here with two points, there’s no doubt about it. Our guys played their first true, complete 60 minutes of the season.”
Dean added that there was a lot to like in the loss for the home club.
“Execution with the puck was way better,” Dean said. “A lot of crisp passing out of our zone, a lot of poise out of our zone. Our D used each other very well. Our wingers were very good off the walls and we finally looked like the relentless group I’m used to seeing in the offensive zone.”
Asked about the Flyers prospect, Petes coach Rob Wilson praised the play of Avon and his work on the game-winning goal
“He’s got NHL speed and it’s electrifying,” Petes head coach Rob Wilson said.
“We won the draw, which is critical in overtime,” Wilson said. “We did our normal breakout and with speed like that, if we can hit them on the outside, it’s very difficult for defencemen to zone down in three-on-three.”
Getting the win after the Greyhounds tied the game with 92 seconds to go was important for the Petes in the game.
“I liked that we bounced back,” Wilson said of picking up the win. “I liked that we did some stuff better than we did in North Bay, but we have a lot of work to do.”
After a scoreless opening period, the Greyhounds got on the board first as Jordan D’Intino skated the puck into the Petes zone, moved into the right faceoff circle and beat Peterborough goaltender Liam Sztuska stick side at 5:33
Peterborough tied the game at 12:43 JR Avon took a breakaway pass from Justin DeZoete and beat Greyhounds goaltender Charlie Schenkel with a shot that handcuffed the Sault netminder.
With 2:02 to go in regulation time, Nick Lardis gave the Petes the lead, beating Schenkel with a sharp-angle shot from the right faceoff circle.
Just 32 seconds later overage forward Mark Duarte beat Sztuska high glove side off a faceoff win by Bryce McConnell-Barker in the right faceoff circle with Schenkel on the bench for the extra attacker.
Avon’s overtime winner came 1:59 into the extra frame after a defensive zone faceoff win. Avon broke down the left wing, circled the Sault net and beat Schenkel with a wrap around to give the Petes the win.
McConnell-Barker finished the night with assists on both Greyhounds goals in the loss while Schenkel made 21 saves.
In addition to the two-goal night from Avon, DeZoete also had a pair of points for Peterborough with two assists.
Sztuska stopped 27 shots for the Petes.
The Greyhounds fall to 2-3-2-0 as the prepare for a game at home against the Barrie Colts on Saturday night.
The win improves Peterborough’s record to 4-2-0-0.
Overage defenceman Ryan Thompson returned to the lineup after an injury took him out of action during the opening weekend of the regular season.
“The timing of (Thompson’s return) was really good for us,” Dean said.
A pair of defencemen were out of the lineup for the Greyhounds due to injury on Friday in Caeden Carlisle and Connor Toms.
Dean said Toms is expected back in the lineup on Saturday night while Carlisle is day-to-day with a lower body injury and won’t dress against Barrie.
Veteran forward Tyler Savard also missed Friday’s game and will miss two more after being given a four-game suspension by the league for his hit on Sarnia Sting goaltender Benjamin Gaudreau last weekend in Sarnia.
Savard is eligible to return to the lineup when the Greyhounds open a three-game road trip on Oct. 27 in Peterborough.