Facing an opponent that was facing injuries, the Soo Greyhounds may have thought it was going to be a little easier than it was.
The Greyhounds picked up a 4-1 win over a short-staffed Windsor Spitfires team in front of an announced crowd of nearly 4,000 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday night at the Essar Centre.
The game was one that the Greyhounds felt lacked urgency early on.
“They worked harder for the most part and there wasn’t a sense of urgency in our game in the first period or the beginning of the second,” Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister said.
“I’m happy with the win but there are going to be games where you don’t play your best and we kind of looked at who they had in their lineup and thought it was going to be easier than it was,” Bannister also said, calling it a learning experience.
The Spitfires played the game without the likes of veterans Logan Stanley – a Winnipeg Jets prospect – and Cristiano DiGiacinto, who were both suspended. The team was also without overage forward Jeremiah Addison (Montreal Canadiens prospect), Logan Brown (Ottawa Senators) and Gabe Vilardi, who were all out with injuries.
Bannister would also say he hopes the game will be a “lesson” that the team doesn’t get complacent.
“No matter who we’re playing or what their lineup looks like, this was an important game for us and there was no reason for us not to be dialed in tonight,” Bannister said.
Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Boris Katchouk paced the Greyhounds with a pair of goals in the win.
For Katchouk, the two-goal performance extends his personal point streak to eight games, which coincides with the Greyhounds current winning streak of the same length.
“I’ve had a little bit of puck luck coming my way,” Katchouk said of his recent success. “It all comes from hard work and I pride my game on that and that’s what’s getting me the points.
Bannister said Katchouk is a player who can be a catalyst for the Greyhounds.
“He’s a guy that can ignite us and he did that at times tonight,” Bannister said.
Goaltender Joseph Raaymakers made 35 saves for the Greyhounds. David Miller and Bobby MacIntyre also scored for the Greyhounds.
“I felt good,” Raaymakers said. “They guys kept the shots to the outside so it was easy for me to see the puck.”
“Joseph was great,” Bannister said. “He was the one guy you could say played tonight. He was really good for us.”
Windsor goaltender, and Sault Ste. Marie native, Mario Culina made 24 saves. Cole Carter had the lone Windsor goal.
“Sometimes you can’t control wins and losses but you can control the way you play,” said Windsor Coach Rocky Thompson. “I’m very happy with the way our guys played the game tonight. We gave ourselves an opportunity to win.”
The win moves the Greyhounds three points ahead of the Spitfires in the OHL's West Division standings though the Spitfires hold two games in hand.
The Greyhounds record improved to 19-7-1-0 while Windsor falls to 16-5-4-0.
“Everyone is chipping in,” Raaymakers said of why the Greyhounds have had so much success in recent games. “All of our lines are going and everyone is playing well defensively as well.”
The short homestand wraps up for the Greyhounds on Friday night against the Barrie Colts. The 7:07 p.m. start at the Essar Centre marks the lone appearance of the season by the Colts in Sault Ste. Marie.
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OTHER SCORES
In Hamilton, Dmitry Sokolov scored a pair of goals as the Sudbury Wolves beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2. MacAuley Carson also scored for the Wolves. Will Bitten had a goal and an assist for the Bulldogs. Matthew Strome also scored for Hamilton.
In Kingston, Warren Foegele scored at 2:47 of overtime to give the Kingston Frontenacs a 2-1 win against the Ottawa 67’s. Ryan Cranford had the other Kingston goal. Kevin Bahl had the lone goal for Ottawa.
In North Bay, Mitchell Vande Sompel had three goals and an assist as the Oshawa Generals beat the North Bay Battalion 5-2. Eric Henderson added a goal and an assist while Medric Mercier had the other Generals goal. Anthony Cirelli assisted on two Oshawa goals. Kyle Potts and Steve Harland scored for North Bay.