Facing one of the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League, there was a lot to like for the Soo Greyhounds on Sunday afternoon.
The Greyhounds fell 5-2 to the Ottawa 67’s on Sunday at TD Place in Ottawa in a game that the Greyhounds felt good about despite the result.
Greyhounds coach John Dean placed heavy blame on himself following the game.
With the 67’s leading 2-1 midway through the third period, rookie defenceman Jacob Holmes was nabbed for a tripping minor in the defensive zone by the neutral zone referee. Dean argued the call and ultimately received a bench minor on the play as well, putting the Greyhounds down two men for the second time in the contest.
Overage defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer scored on the 5-on-3 to put Ottawa ahead 3-1 with 8:42 to go in the game.
“As far as I’m concerned, I cost our team the game,” Dean said. “I don’t think I deserved the minor but, I should know better than to say a word to (the referees).”
“Sometimes you get good games and sometimes you get tough games,” Dean also said. “I haven to learn to control my emotions when I don’t think things are going the way they should be.”
The 67’s scored on both 5-on-3 man advantages in the game with Austen Keating scoring on the first one in the early stages of the opening period.
Dean added that he was happy with what he saw from the Greyhounds in the game.
“We went into the game expecting to win,” Dean said. “That’s the way our team has approached the entire season. I know our record doesn’t show it, but we thought we had a real good opportunity to win that hockey game today. We know what we’re capable of doing and how we’re capable of playing.”
“When you compete that hard, it’s pretty obvious that how successful we can be in this league,” Dean added.
Greyhounds forward Rory Kerins said, “there are a lot of really good things we can take away from this game.”
“It’s a good mark of where we have to be to win and how we have to play,” the veteran added. “We have to look at this game as a positive for sure and we’re going to try to keep the same pace and intensity for the rest of the year.”
Ottawa goaltender Cedrick Andree made 36 saves in the game, including 14 in the third period.
Kerins called Andree the difference in the game.
“He was their best player,” Kerins said. “He changed the game for them.”
“Both goaltenders were fantastic,” Dean said. “Especially in that first period, we gave up some pretty significant chances and (Nick) Malik kept us in it. As the game went on, we generated a lot of Grade-A’s as well and Cedrick played really well as well.”
At the other end of the ice, Malik made 23 saves for the Greyhounds.
Zack Trott and Cullen McLean scored for the Greyhounds.
Jack Quinn paced the 67’s with two goals and two assists while Marco Rossi chipped in with a goal and two helpers. Keating had a goal and an assist for Ottawa.
Sitting one point behind the Erie Otters for eighth in the OHL’s Western Conference, the Greyhounds record sits at 23-24-2-0 heading into a four-game homestand that begins Wednesday night against the Kitchener Rangers at the GFL Memorial Gardens.
Ottawa has now won nine straight games and sits comfortably atop the OHL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 39-7-0-0.
In other action around the OHL on Sunday afternoon, in Mississauga, Keean Washkurak had two goals and four assists as the Mississauga Steelheads beat the Sudbury Wolves 10-3. Calvin Martin added three goals and an assist for the Steelheads while Aidan Prueter also had four points with a goal and three assists.
In North Bay, Martin Chromiak had a goal and two assists as the Kingston Frontenacs doubled up the North Bay Battalion 6-3. Kingston goaltender Ryan Dugas made 33 saves.
In Oshawa, Kyle MacLean scored at 2:26 of overtime as the Oshawa Generals beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2. Allan McShane assisted on three goals for Oshawa. Hamilton goaltender Marco Costantini made 34 saves while his counterpart, Zachary Paputsakis, made 32 for Oshawa.