Martin, Hayes impactful in Greyhounds win

For the Soo Greyhounds, it’s no secret that Brady Martin and Travis Hayes are key pieces to the team this season.

On Friday night, the duo had a major impact on their team and the final result of a game on home ice.

Shootout goals by both 2007 birth year players were the difference as the Greyhounds picked up a 5-4 win over the Rangers Friday night at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

Martin opened the shootout by beating Kitchener goaltender Jason Schaubel with a shot to the glove side just over the netminders pad before Hayes sealed the win on the Greyhounds next shot.

“If you go down the middle, you have a better angle on both sides of the net,” Martin said of his shootout goal. “I came in slow and faked a shot and then shot it over his pad.”

Martin called Friday’s victory “a big win for us.”

Greyhounds coach John Dean added that “the thing I will most focus on is our ability to change our game between the first and second periods.

“Significantly simplifying (our game),” Dean added. “We played a very predictable style of play, which, clearly, we need to do right now. There was too much problem-solving going on in the first period, which makes for mental mistakes, fundamental errors, and when you’re constantly problem-solving, your pace of play goes down.”

Just how important were Martin and Hayes to the Greyhounds on Friday night?

“Travis Hayes singlehandedly put us back into the hockey game in the first period. He showed everybody what he expects of them and that’s how you have to be a leader and Trav doesn’t have a letter, but you almost embarrass your teammates into playing hard. When you go out there and play the way he did, how do you not jump over the boards and do something special? That’s how we want our leaders to play.”

“Brady Martin, I think that’s one of his best games as a Soo Greyhound,” Dean added. “He was creative when he needed to be. He was physical when he needed to be, and he was simple when he needed to be. Elite players have to know when and when not to use their skill and Brady tonight, his decision-making was incredible. When he makes good decisions, the quality of play is off the charts.”

Dean added he thought the pair were “incredible.”

The duo also scored shorthanded goals on the same penalty in the second period, which was a boost for the Greyhounds in the game.

“(Brendan Taylor) has a very aggressive forecheck up ice,” Dean said. “He’s got a very strategic style of where we rag the puck back and create odd-man rushes and those are by design. The guys have really bought into it.”

For Rangers coach Jussi Ahokas, the first and third periods were a positive for his club in the loss, but mistakes wound up being critical in addition to the two shorthanded goals in the second period by the Greyhounds.

“The first and third periods, we played well,” Ahokas said. “If you have a power play and give up two shorthanded goals, we knew that they were going to pressure, but you have to be ready to work when you go on the power play, and we weren’t. From our own mistakes, we gave the game away.”

“When you score four goals, you should win the game,” Ahokas added. “Crucial mistakes made the difference.”

The Rangers opened the scoring 53 seconds into the game ad Tanner Lam took a shot from near the blueline that handcuffed Greyhounds starter Charlie Schenkel to give the visitors and early lead.

The Greyhounds tied the game with 2:13 to go in the opening period as Hayes skated in and beat Rangers goaltender Jason Schaubel with a shot high glove side from the high slot.

Kitchener wasted little time retaking the lead as Matheas Stark finished off a three-way passing play by converting a feed from Luke Ellinas 12 seconds after the Greyhounds had tied the game.

With the Rangers on the power play, the Greyhounds tied the game at two as Hayes got his second of the night 3:05 into the second period. Hayes grabbed a turnover and beat Schaubel glove side from the slot.

Just 1:01 later, Martin took a turnover at the Sault blueline, skated down the ice and beat a Kitchener player to the outside before beating Schaubel with a shot from the slot stick side. Martin’s goal also came shorthanded.

With just over two minutes to go in the middle period, Stark picked up his second of the night, beating Schenkel with a shot from the slot glove side after taking a pass from Tanner Lam from below the goalline to tie the game at three.

The Greyhounds retook the lead with one minute to go in the period as Andrew Gibson beat Schaubel with a shot from the point through traffic.

Kitchener tied the game at four at 11:45 of the third period when a shot by Justin Bottineau from the right point that handcuffed Schenkel and squeaked over the goalline.

In addition to stopping Swick and Lam in the shootout, Schenkel made 29 saves for the Greyhounds through 65 minutes.

At the other end, Schaubel stopped 23 shots.

The Greyhounds improve to 2-4-0-0 with Friday’s victory.

Kitchener falls to 3-2-1-1 with the loss.

The Greyhounds played Friday’s game minus Marco Mignosa, Brady Smith, and Brodie McConnell-Barker.

Mignosa remains out due to illness while Smith was injured in the Greyhounds loss to Sarnia on Sunday and will be out at least a week according to Dean.

McConnell-Barker remains out week-to-week.

With four overage players on the roster following their win in Flint on Wednesday night, the Rangers announced on Thursday that Antonino Pugliese was released by the club after three full seasons with the club. The veteran forward had two goals and three points in four games this season.