'Self-inflicted mistakes' bury Greyhounds (video, 7 photos)

One goal can change the complexion of a hockey game and for the Soo Greyhounds, it happened on Saturday night.

Holding a 3-2 lead midway through a key divisional game against the Windsor Spitfires on home ice, a quick power play goal off a faceoff win was a turning point as the team dropped a 5-3 Ontario Hockey League decision to the Spitfires at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

The game was one in which the team saw some positives in what was a tight game early on before giving up the lead and falling behind early in the third period.

“I really liked the first half of our game,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “We played a good first period and unfortunately, we take some penalties that put them right back into the game. You can’t give that team an opportunity to get back into the game.”

Dean said a goal by Spitfires forward Will Cuylle midway through the second period was a point in the game where things turned for the Greyhounds.

“We looked deflated,” Dean said.

“The Cuylle goal goes in and after that goal, they were the better team by far,” Dean added. “It looked like we were trying to be a little bit different and trying to be a little bit cute and all of a sudden we start with the self-inflicted wounds.”

Windsor coach Marc Savard said a big point in the game as well was the Spitfires scoring on both ends of a double minor penalty given to Greyhounds forward Rory Kerins late in the first period.

“That was huge because up until that point we were still relaxed on the bench,” Savard said. “We thought we were taking the play to them most of the first period and then we get that penalty and it’s time to bear down.”

Coming off an already busy week, Savard said the gameplan entering Saturday’s contest was to use the Greyhounds’ time off to their advantage.

“We knew they hadn’t played in a while and we tried to use that to used that to our advantage and get on them early,” Savard said, adding that he also felt limited whistles in the opening six minutes of the contest was something Windsor used to their advantage.

“We got on them and kept wearing them out early,” Savard said. “I’m proud of every guy in our room. Everyone chipped in. There were no passengers tonight. It was a really good effort.”

The Greyhounds got on the board 6:34 into the opening period when Kerins took a back-door pass from Tye Kartye and scored into an open Windsor net after Xavier Medina stopped a shot by Cole MacKay initially. The rebound got to Kartye to the left of the goal, who immediately hit Kerins with a pass.

Ryan O’Rourke made it 2-0 Greyhounds with a power play goal at 12:10. O’Rourke skated into the right circle and beat Medina with a shot through traffic in close.

Windsor got on the board at 17:13 of the opening period when Wyatt Johnston beat Greyhounds starter Tucker Tynan on the power play with a shot from the slot glove side.

Cuylle then tied the game for Windsor 43 seconds later when he took a pass in the slot from Pasquale Zito and beat Tynan on the back end of four-minute power play.

Kerins gave the Greyhounds a 3-2 lead at 9:43 of the second period when he beat Medina with a sharp-angle shot from the left side.

Cuylle then tied the game at three at 11:44 when he took a pass off a faceoff win and beat Tynan from the slot.

Daniel D’Amico gave Windsor a 4-3 lead at 1:35 of the third when he beat Tynan from the left circle high glove.

Cuylle capped off the scoring with an empty net goal with 2:05 to go after Johnston forced a turnover behind the Sault goal.

Tynan made 28 saves for the Greyhounds in the loss.

“Tucker was great tonight,” Dean said. “He kept us in the game, no doubt about it.”

In addition to the three-goal night for Cuylle, Johnston also had three points in the win with a goal and a pair of assists.

“They’ve been incredible all season long,” Savard said. “The thing is, they’re so consistent.”

Defenceman Louka Henault also assisted on a pair of goals.

Medina stopped 15 shots in the victory for the Spitfires.

With the loss, the Greyhounds fall to 33-19-6-1 and fall seven points behind the Spitfires for top spot in the OHL’s West Division.

The Greyhounds remain two points behind the Flint Firebirds for second in the division after the Firebirds dropped a 5-4 decision to the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday night in Flint.

Windsor improves to 37-16-3-3 with the victory. The team sits in top spot in the OHL’s Western Conference with 80 points and have won six straight games.

The Greyhounds and Spitfires wrap up the weekend on Sunday afternoon in a 2:07 p.m. start at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

Dean called the short turnaround “a great opportunity to use this as a learning lesson.”

“What we need to use from this is, we’re nine games away from the playoffs and it’s exactly what will happen in the playoffs,” Dean said. “You might get a breather in between games, but we will have a back-to-back at some point where maybe things don’t go our way and it’s going to be against good hockey clubs.”