It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season for the Soo Greyhounds.
The Sudbury Wolves scored three unanswered goals to break a 2-2 tie and beat the Greyhounds 5-2 in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday afternoon.
The game was the regular season finale for both clubs.
For the Greyhounds, it brings to an end a season that was full of ups and downs and a lot of tough moments, which include missing the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12 (not including the 2019-20 season, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
For Greyhounds coach John Dean, the focus is on avoiding a similar scenario down the road.
“We definitely have to reflect and make sure this never happens again,” Dean said.
“We want to get back to being a team that’s considered a major contender,” Dean also said. “I smell opportunity, and I think the guys in (the dressing room) do. As individuals, we all have to take some ownership and make sure we’re part of the solution.”
Sunday’s game was one in which the teams combined for 15 power plays – 10 for the Wolves and five for the Greyhounds – and Dean called it a game that both teams lacked energy in.
“It was pretty sloppy, a lot of penalties both ways,” Dean said. “It was a strange game. A lot of special teams, not a lot of energy from either team.”
Dean added that there may have been a bit of a lingering effect from the team’s annual awards banquet on Saturday night.
“Last night was a bit of an emotional, draining night,” Dean said. “That was almost their goodbye, and I think they had a tough time finding life today.”
Among the penalties was a major to rookie Greyhounds forward Connor Clattenburg in the second period after a hit on Sudbury defenceman Nolan Collins, ending the day for the Greyhounds forward in the process.
After falling behind 2-0, the Greyhounds came back in the second period to tie the game, only to give up the go-ahead goal 19 seconds later. Dean called it a tough goal to give up.
“It burst our bubble a little bit for sure,” Dean said.
For the Wolves, the game had some meaning as the result bumped the Eastern Conference club up in the final standings. Bouncing back after the Greyhounds tied the game was positive.
“We knew the Sault was going to come out and play hard and not make it easy on us,” said Wolves coach Derek MacKenzie. “It was about taking care of business. We let them back in the game there for a minute. To see our guys, recapture that momentum and have that resiliency.
Playing in his final OHL game in the loss, overage forward Kalvyn Watson called his career with the Greyhounds “a great ride.”
“I’ve been here for a while, and every year you get a new group of guys, and you’re not sure what to expect, but at the end of the year, you end up closer than you could have thought,” Watson said. “I’m happy to be able to end it with these guys.”
Watson admitted to being emotional following the game, which concluded a season that saw the veteran forward score 35 goals.
“I came into the league thinking I was a goal-scorer, and I wasn’t,” Watson said. “It took me a while to learn a lot of things. I thank the coaching staff. I’ve had some pretty good coaches here that have taught me a lot of things. I learned to have a knack for the net and to get there.”
Asked about the overage players on the roster, Dean called Mark Duarte and Ryan Thompson phenomenal human beings that "display everything you want in a Soo Greyhound.”
Dean added that, after coaching Watson throughout his career, “it’s tough to say goodbye.”
Sudbury opened the scoring when a point shot by Matthew Mania hit a Greyhound stick on the way to the net and was deflected off Nathan Villeneuve in close, beating Greyhounds goaltender Samuel Ivanov glove side at 6:45 on the power play.
Landon McCallum made it 2-0 Sudbury, beating Ivanov from the slot stock side on the power play after a great pass from Nicholas Yearwood on the power play at 13:46.
The Greyhounds got on the board as Kalvyn Watson beat Sudbury goaltender Kevyn Brassard on a back-door tap on the power play at 8:11 of the second period.
Mark Duarte appeared to tie the game on the next shift when he scored on a tap-in after Justin Cloutier had his initial shot from the left circle blocked. The goal was reviewed and waved off due to an offside.
Kirill Kudryavtsev would eventually tie the game at 9:37 when he skated into the Sudbury some and beat Brassard stock side.
Sudbury retook the lead when Quentin Musty beat Ivanov glove side from the left circle in traffic just 19 seconds later.
Yearwood then made it a 4-2 game on the power play when he redirected a pass in tight from David Goyette past Ivanov at 12:22.
Sudbury made t a 5-2 game when Quentin Musty broke down the left wing and beat Ivanov 5-hole from the left circle at 8:19 of the third period.
Ivanov stopped 19 of 24 shots for the Greyhounds in the loss.
Musty had two goals and an assist, while Goyette also had a three-point day with three assists for the Wolves.
Yearwood had one of each in the win.
Delic and Mania added two assists each.
Brassard stopped 28 shots.
With the loss, the Greyhounds end the season with a 20-33-9-6 season and finish ninth in the OHL’s Western Conference.
Sudbury caps off the regular season with a record of 31-28-6-3 and finish fifth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. The Wolves will open the OHL playoffs on Thursday night against the Peterborough Petes in Peterborough.
The Wolves played Sunday’s game minus a pair of regulars due to suspension.
Djibril Toure was serving game six of a six-game ban following a game in Barrie on March 11, while Ethan Larmand sat out game eight of an eight-game suspension. Larmand was suspended for a hit on Greyhounds defenceman Spencer Evans 1:01 into the last game between the two teams in the Sault on March 8.
Notes: On Saturday night, the Greyhounds announced their award winners for the 2022-23 season. The winners included:
- Bryce McConnell-Barker- MVP and top scorer
- Kirill Kudryavtsev - best defenceman and most gentlemanly player
- Kalvyn Watson - unsung hero and Dr. Lou Lukenda Memorial award (for player who exemplifies perseverance and dedication to hockey while overcoming obstacles to excel on and off the ice)
- Mark Duarte - player's player
- Andrew Gibson - rookie of the year
- Jordan D’Intino- most improved player
- Justin Cloutier and Caleb Van De Ven - scholastic players of the year