Holding off a late push by their opponent was critical for the Soo Greyhounds on Sunday afternoon.
After the Sudbury Wolves scored a pair of third-period goals to make the game close, the Greyhounds killed off a late power play that included Sudbury playing with the goalie out and an extra attacker in what turned into a 6-3 Ontario Hockey League win at Sudbury Community Arena.
Keeping the Wolves at bay late was crucial for the Greyhounds after a pair of losses to North Bay in which the team surrendered leads in the third period.
“It was a pretty impressive penalty kill at the end,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “Guys bared down really well. Tucker (Tynan) was good in net. (Rory) Kerins did an unbelievable job on faceoffs. Credit to the guys on the kill, especially six-on-four. That’s a difficult set for two minutes and our guys did a great job. They really wanted that one.”
Veteran forward Tye Kartye spoke further about the late kill.
“Tucker made some saves late in the penalty kill there and guys were putting their bodies on the line,” Kartye said.
“It wasn’t our best game, but we’re happy to get the win for sure,” added rookie forward Bryce McConnell-Barker.
Trailing 4-3 and heading to the power play after a penalty to Kalvyn Watson, the Greyhounds faced a 6-on-4 as Sudbury pulled goaltender Mitchell Weeks for and extra attacker.
“It shows a lot of heart killing off the last five minutes for sure,” McConnell-Barker also said.
Kartye said the two earlier losses on the trip to North Bay in which the Greyhounds had leads “hurt.”
“We had the lead in both games and that’s something we’ve got to learn how to do is keep the lead and win games, especially down the stretch,” Kartye said. “If we get the lead, we have to learn how to keep it and run with it.”
“We probably deserved a better fate in North Bay and today probably wasn’t our best game, but we found a way to dig deep at the end when it mattered,” added Dean.
Dean added that Sunday’s result takes on added importance from a confidence standpoint.
“It’s important for a team to feel confident in those situations,” Dean said of holding on in Sunday’s win. “The only way you get confidence is from experience and successful experience.”
Cole MacKay opened the scoring for the Greyhounds at 9:36 of the opening period.
On the left wing, Rory Kerins took a pass from Kartye and hit MacKay with a pass at the top of the crease, who redirected it past Weeks to make it 1-0 Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds took a 2-0 lead early in the second period when McConnell-Barker took a pass from Kalvyn Watson on a 2-on-1 after a turnover at the Sudbury blueline and beat Weeks stick side at 1:45.
Kartye made it 3-0 at 13:39 when he took a pass in the slot and beat Weeks high stick side.
Sudbury got on the board late in the period when Quentin Musty beat Greyhounds goaltender Tucker Tynan with a shot from the right circle with 1:04 to go in the period.
The Greyhounds restored the three-goal lead 1:10 into the third when Kalvyn Watson one-timed a pass from Robert Calisti past Weeks.
The three-goal lead didn’t last long as Dominik Jendek beat Tynan with a shot from the top of the left circle that appeared to hit a stick on the way to the net. The goal came 52 seconds after Watson’s goal.
Former Greyhound Marc Boudreau cut the lead to 4-3 when he took a pass in the slot from Jendek and beat Tynan high at 14:46.
After killing off a late penalty and Weeks on the bench for an extra attacker, Kartye scored an empty net goal with 25 seconds to go to make it 5-3.
Owen Allard capped off the scoring on the next shift when he jumped on a rebound in the slot and beat Weeks with 18 seconds to go in the contest to seal the win for the Greyhounds.
Kartye finished the day with three points – two goals and an assist – while McConnell-Barker, MacKay, and Watson added a goal and two assists each for the Greyhounds.
For McConnell-Barker, the offensive success was a welcomed sight in the game.
“The puck was going my way a little bit tonight,” McConnell-Barker said. “I got a lot of good chances.
“My linemates (Watson and Tyler Savard) were feeding me well,” the rookie forward added.
Dean had plenty of praise for McConnell-Barker following the game as well.
“Bryce has been a model of work ethic and compete since the day he got here,” Dean said.
Kerins assisted on a pair of Sault goals.
Tynan made 24 saves for the Greyhounds while Weeks stopped 24 shots for the Wolves.
With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 24-13-4-1 and, with 53 points, remain in top spot in the OHL’s West Division and hold a three-point edge on the Flint Firebirds who were idle on Sunday.
The Firebirds have two games in hand on the Greyhounds.
The Wolves, who are battling with the Peterborough Petes for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, fall to 13-24-3-1.
With their scheduled game in Sudbury on Tuesday night postponed, the Greyhounds are now scheduled to return to action on Friday night at home in the first game of a three game homestand.
The Greyhounds are set to host the Sarnia Sting in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday nights. Puck drop for both games at the GFL Memorial Gardens is set for 7:07 p.m.
The homestand wraps up on Feb. 16 against the Flint Firebirds.
On the injury front for the Greyhounds, MacKay and overage blueliner Robert Calisti returned to the lineup on Sunday afternoon.
MacKay missed three games after blocking a shot against the Flint Firebirds on Jan. 28.
Calisti returned to the lineup after missing a pair of games.
Goaltender Charlie Schenkel joined the Greyhounds for Sunday’s contest after Samuel Ivanov was injured in Friday’s overtime loss against North Bay.
Dean said Sunday evening that Ivanov is expected to be out a minimum of two weeks.