A team that’s been among the highest scoring clubs in the Ontario Hockey League this season, the Soo Greyhounds haven’t played in many low-scoring contests this season.
Despite outshooting their opponent by a significant margin on Wednesday night, the Greyhounds opened up a three-game road trip with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Oshawa Generals at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.
It was a game that saw the Greyhounds outshoot the Generals 43-14 and give up just a pair of shots in the third period en route to the victory.
In the end, there was a lot to like about Wednesday’s victory.
“A really complete sixty,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean.
“That’s a really solid game by our group,” Dean added.
Overage forward Brenden Sirizzotti called the game “a no-doubter.”
“At no point in the game did we feel like they were going to come back,” Sirizzotti added. “It honestly felt like instead of 1-0, it was 10-0.”
Dean said that, prior to the game, the team discussed how the choices players make “and how those can compound into a body of work and what do we want that body of work to look like.”
Asked what pleased him most about the win, Dean said he was impressed with the Greyhounds puck protection in the offensive zone and puck management by the Sault defencemen stood out.
“Our forwards in the offensive zone, protecting the puck, holding onto it, not wasting pucks and not wasting zone time,” Dean said, “and our D’s efficiency with the puck. Quick plays, first pass, all good options.”
“Our o-zone play was unbelievable, which leads to less time in the d-zone, less time in the neutral zone,” Sirizzotti added. “Our quick-ups were great, which leads to less time everywhere. Altogether, we just played a really good game, a complete game.”
Sirizzotti had the lone goal in the win for the Greyhounds.
The veteran forward scored on a rebound after he was stopped initially, as was Marco Mignosa before that, by Oshawa netminder Jacob Oster. The goal came with just over two minutes to go in the middle stanza.
Rookie goaltender Landon Miller made 14 saves to pick up his second shutout of the season for the Greyhounds.
“There was a lot more chances that don’t get accounted for because of his positioning in the net. They might not hit the net, or they hit a post,” Dean said. “He was actually fantastic tonight. In the first period, they out-chanced us. We outshot them 14-5, but we got out-chanced. We needed him to be big and the shots that did get on net were good opportunities.”
Dean said the decision to start Miller was in part due to Charlie Schenkel not feeling 100 per cent following the Greyhounds morning skate.
Dean added that Schenkel was well enough to play if needed.
On a night when he faced limited shots on goal, Miller said he finds ways to keep himself sharp in between shots.
“It’s just little mental games I play,” Miller said. “Trying to take it five minutes at a time or in between whistles maybe doing a little movement in my crease. Doing stuff like that to stay engaged is very important in these games because eventually chances are going to come, and I have to be ready.”
Oster was strong throughout for the Generals in a 42-save performance.
With the win, the Greyhounds snap a two-game losing skid and improve to 24-10-2-1 on the season.
The Greyhounds move six points ahead of the Saginaw Spirit for top spot in the OHL’s West Division thanks to the win after the Spirit cut into the lead with a win over the Greyhounds on Sunday afternoon in the Sault.
The Sault also pulls to withing three points of the Kitchener Rangers for first in the Western Conference.
Both the Spirit and Rangers were idle on Wednesday night but are slated to meet each other on Thursday night in Kitchener.
The Greyhounds are slated to return to action on Friday night on the road in Guelph against the Storm before wrapping up the week on the road on Saturday night in Barrie against the Colts.
The Generals, who are in a dogfight in the Eastern Conference with the top eight teams in the conference separated by seven points, fall to 15-15-3-1 with the loss.
Oshawa remains tied with the Peterborough Petes for seventh in the standings after the Petes dropped a 2-1 decision to the Sarnia Sting in Sarnia on Wednesday.
On the injury front for the Greyhounds, Bryce McConnell-Barker remains out though the veteran forward has been skating and winger Connor Clattenburg missed Wednesday’s game due to injury as well.
Dean said McConnell-Barker is out day-to-day while Clattenburg won’t be ready for this weekend after getting hurt in Sunday’s game against Saginaw.
After the elimination of Team Canada in the quarterfinal of the World Junior Hockey Championship, Dean said Greyhounds forward Owen Allard won’t be back in the lineup this weekend following the tournament.