Mistakes in critical situations left the Soo Greyhounds frustrated on Friday night.
The Guelph Storm took full advantage on Friday night as mistakes by the Greyhounds led to four goals in what was eventually a 5-2 Ontario Hockey League victory by the Storm at the GFL Memorial Gardens.
With the OHL’s regular season in its final month, the focus for the Greyhounds was the focus in a game where they felt they played well.
“We just can’t make then,” said Sault forward Julian Fantino of the mistakes. “We played decent, just bad mistakes cost us.”
Greyhounds coach John Dean called the mistakes “the story of the game.”
“Three really big mistakes end up in the back of our net,” Dean added. “Even the fourth goal, we have to win that race for the icing. Our guys battled; they scrapped. The bench was good, the pace was good. I loved our second period. I liked our style of play. Not a lot to complain about. Just three errors.”
Dean said he felt the Greyhounds outplayed the Storm despite the result.
“We were the better team tonight, there’s no doubt about it,” Dean said.
Storm coach Chad Wiseman said he liked the play of his club early on in the game.
“I liked our pace early, we executed the game plan,” Wiseman said.
Wiseman also called the opening period “a really solid road period.”
“We got outworked and outcompeted in the second period,” Walker said.
Both coaches referred to a goal late in the second period by Guelph’s Cooper Walker, which gave the visitors the lead for good.
Walker scored with seconds to go in the period moments after a turnover behind the Greyhounds net.
Dean said he didn’t feel like the goal wasn’t a “back-breaker.”
Dean added that fatigue played a role in the goal.
Wiseman called the goal “a momentum swing.”
“That goal was huge,” Wiseman added. “When things are going your way and you’re playing well, you get those breaks.”
Guelph opened the scoring as Charlie Paquette beat Greyhounds goaltender Charlie Schenkel short side from the bottom of the right faceoff circle at 4:57.
The Storm made it a 2-0 game when Ryan McGuire stripped Greyhounds defenceman Matthew Virgilio of the puck near the Greyhounds blueline and beat Schenkel high glove side up under the crossbar from the slot at 9:16.
The Greyhounds got on the board in the second period when Justin Cloutier got the puck in the left circle on a pass from Mark Duarte and beat Guelph goaltender Patrick Leaver short side at 5:19.
Brenden Sirizzotti tied the game for the Greyhounds when he forced a turnover near the Guelph blueline, skated into the slot, and beat Leaver stick side at 16:57.
Guelph retook the lead with 2.3 seconds to go in the period when Greyhounds forward Owen Allard turned the puck over behind the net and Walker grabbed it, skated into the slot and beat Schenkel glove side.
The Storm capped off the scoring with a pair of empty net goals late.
McGuire made it a 4-2 game after taking a pass from Gavin Grundner, who won a footrace into the Greyhounds zone to negate an icing with 1:10 to go.
Chandler Romeo sealed the win with an empty netter with 7.3 seconds to go.
Sirizzotti had a goal and an assist the Greyhounds in the loss.
Schenkel stopped 21 shots.
Leaver made 32 saves for the Storm in the win, including 15 in the second period.
The Greyhounds return to action on Saturday night when they host the Oshawa Generals in a 7:07 p.m. start at the GFL Memorial Gardens.
Friday’s loss drops the Greyhounds record to 17-27-9-6 on the season. The team fell further out of the playoff race with the setback after the Kitchener Rangers picked up a 4-1 at home over the Erie Otters. The Rangers moved nine points ahead of the Greyhounds with 11 games remaining on their schedule while the Greyhounds have nine games left.
Guelph improves to 30-24-4-1 with the victory and sit tied with the Saginaw Spirit in the Western Conference standings with 65 points each though the Spirit have a game in hand on the Storm.
Guelph is scheduled to face Flint in Flint on Saturday night while the Spirit will be in Ottawa to take on the 67’s in an afternoon contest.
Notes: Saturday’s game against the Generals will also be the annual Rotary Battle of the Sections game in support of the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie. Local Rotarians will be passing buckets through sections of the GFL Memorial Gardens during the first period to raise money.
The section that raises the most money will also win a prize as part of the annual tradition.
Money raised helps fund Rotary's work with its special children's projects.