Sweeping up: Greyhounds ride Sunday win to perfect weekend

After the emotional high of a jersey retirement and last-second victory, the Soo Greyhounds faced a short turnaround and are confident in their response.

A late goal by Marco Mignosa turned into the game-winner as the Greyhounds capped off a weekend sweep of the Windsor Spitfires with a 5-2 win on Sunday afternoon at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

It was the second consecutive game that saw the Spitfires hang around before the Greyhounds found a way to pull away late. Sunday’s contest saw the locals score three times in the final period, a frame in which they outshot their opponent 15-6.

“After the emotion and the high of last night, to come back and play as hard as we did, I’m just really proud of the guys,” said Greyhounds assistant coach Brendan Taylor. “It’s tough (being) back-to-back and an afternoon game. Especially after everything we went through last night, the highs and lows of yesterday.”

Taylor, who is running the bench with fellow assistant coach Tyler Ertel while head coach John Dean is away coaching at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, also said the team has garnered a bit of an identity of being able to stick with games where things may not be going the way they want it to.

“That’s becoming our group's MO,” Taylor said. “We’re competitive. We’re energetic. We got a little more frustrated today than we did last night. (Sticking to it) and finding a way to get it done was really the key.”

Spitfires coach Jerrod Smith commended goaltender Ian Michelone in the loss.

“(He) gave us a chance to win the game,” Smith said. “The main takeaway from this weekend for us was that our goaltending was outstanding. If we continue to get that, we’re going to find ways to win those tight games.”

In the third period with the Greyhounds up by a goal, Windsor defenceman Connor Toms – recently traded to the Spitfires by the Greyhounds – and rookie Sault forward Travis Hayes got tangled up while skating deep in the Windsor zone and went down to the ice.

The Spitfires bench called for a penalty to Hayes on the play, specifically the potential for a slew-footing major.

Smith said part of his concern was the similarity of the play to one from Saturday’s contest in which a Spitfires defenceman was give a major.

“I have a tough time understanding the major that was called last night (against Windsor’s Josef Eichler) versus the one that was called today,” Smith said. “Based on what I saw, the incidents looked very similar.”

Smith said the explanation from the referees was that “all four of them didn’t see it that way.”

Smith added he was hoping to at least get a review of the play by the referees on the ice.

The play came at a time when the Greyhounds held a 3-2 lead in the final period and Smith spoke of how a potential power play “would have been an opportunity for us to tie the game, no doubt.”

Injuries remain an issue for the Spitfires with a number of regulars out, including veteran Rodwin Dionicio on the blueline.

Smith spoke of the weekend being a learning experience for some young defenceman who stepped into the lineup in the absence of some veterans.

“They did a good job of keeping things simple, moving pucks north, having that kind of defence-first mindset,” Smith said. “It’s a good opportunity for them to get a taste of the pace of the league.”

For Taylor, the Greyhounds didn’t make life easy for the shorthanded-Spitfires.

“We used our team speed that wore them down,” Taylor said. “They’re light on regulars over there, but in the third period we were able to pull away just with how hard we played.”

The Spitfires got on the board first as Oliver Peer got in behind a Greyhounds defender and took a short pass from Anthony Cristoforo and beat Greyhounds starter Landon Miller 5-hole at 9:41.

The Greyhounds tied the game in the second period as Bryce McConnell-Barker took a pass in the slot after Travis Hayes grabbed a turnover by Michelone behind the net at 6:31.

Jack Beck made it a 2-1 game as he scored on a loose puck in tight after a shot by Jordan D’Intino from the high slot was partially blocked with 4:11 to go in the period.

Windsor tied the game when Cole Davis cut to the Sault goal from the left side and tucked the puck past Miller 1:12 later.

The Greyhounds regained the lead when Marco Mignosa went to the net and had an Owen Allard pass from the left wing deflect off him and past Michelone at 10:55 of the third period.

Empty-net goals from Arttu Karki and Matthew Virgilio capped off the scoring for the Greyhounds in the victory.

McConnell-Barker finished the day with a goal and an assist offensively for the Greyhounds.

Miller made 24 saves. 

Peer was in on both Windsor goals in the loss, assisting on Davis's second period marker in addition to scoring. 

Michelone was named second star in the game, stopping 40 shots in the setback.

The Greyhounds return to action on Thursday night in the opening game of a three-game road trip that kicks off in North Bay with a game against the Battalion. The team will then travel to St. Catharines to take on the Niagara IceDogs on Saturday night before wrapping up the trip with a Sunday afternoon contest in Kitchener against the Rangers.

With Sunday’s victory, the Greyhounds improve to 11-5-0-0 while Windsor falls to 4-10-1-0 with the loss.