It’s not unusual to hear coaches in any sport refer to starting on time.
While it wasn’t a traditional start time, the Soo Greyhounds found themselves opening a three-game road trip on time and with an Ontario Hockey League victory to boot.
After dropping a pair of games at home over the weekend, the Greyhounds skated to a 4-0 victory Thursday over the Peterborough Petes at the Peterborough Memorial Centre in a school-day game that saw puck drop shortly after 11 a.m.
“We were really solid,” said overage forward Jack Beck. “There’s a couple of things that we need to clean up obviously. No game is perfect, but for the most part, we were good. We got better getting to the front of the net. That’s been a big problem for us (is) getting in front of goalies.”
What was a concern for him after losses last weekend to Ottawa and Owen Sound, Greyhounds coach John Dean said getting to the net-front was better against Peterborough but is still a work in progress.
“It was better,” Dean said. “I still don’t think it’s where we need to be, but I thought it was definitely better. We did some good things. Guys were trying to get inside.”
Beck added that the Greyhounds were solid defensively in the victory, keeping a majority of Peterborough’s shots to the outside areas.
Dean agreed.
“We’ve been pretty defensively sound over the last three games, we just haven’t been able to find the back of the net,” Dean said. “For our guys to stick to it defensively and be patient before we finally put a couple in the net is really nice to see the guys believe in what we’re doing and not change course.”
Beck added that the second period helped the Greyhounds take the wind out of the Petes’ sails somewhat en route to the win.
“A big thing with us the last two games against Ottawa and Owen Sound was that we had great first (periods) and then slacked off a little bit in the second,” Beck said. “(Against Peterborough) we stayed on them, and they got drained, and we got that power play goal and the early one in the third.”
Dean said he felt the Greyhounds “controlled” the win over the Petes.
“Controlled is probably the better statement,” Dean said. “Kept things to the outside and capitalized on opportunities when they were there.”
Dean called the chance to play an early game with the stand packed with school kids “a really fun experience.”
“It was fun,” Dean said. “It was crazy. The kids were there an hour before. We were sitting in the coaches office and you could hear the kids cheering and screaming already.”
The teams skated through a scoreless opening period before the Greyhounds opened the scoring on the power play in the middle period.
Parked near the bottom of the right faceoff circle, defenceman Arttu Karki beat Petes goaltender Liam Sztuska with a one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Marco Mignosa through the crease to give the Greyhounds the lead at 6:48.
Early in the third period, the Greyhounds made it a 2-0 game.
Overage forward Jack Beck skated into the Petes zone and beat Sztuska glove side from the top of the left faceoff circle 1:09 into the frame.
Karki made it a 3-0 game with an empty net goal with 1:11 to go in regulation before the Greyhounds capped off the scoring in the final minute when Justin Cloutier beat Sztuska with a shot from the right faceoff circle high stick side on the man advantage with 11 seconds to go.
In addition to the two-goal day for Karki, Beck also had a pair of points in the win, picking up an assist on Karki’s second period marker.
Goaltender Charlie Schenkel made 31 saves to pick up his third career shutout in the process.
“I felt confident and confident in our group,” Schenkel said.
“I had the same approach as always,” Schenkel said of the game. “Every night, I just try to give it my all and give the team the best chance to win.”
“Charlie was great,” Dean said. “His first period, it looked a little bit like he might be fighting it a bit and then he just settled right in. He came up with some huge, timely saves, especially in the six-on-five.”
Sztuska made 37 saves in the loss for the Petes.
With the evening off, the Greyhounds return to action on Friday night in Kingston with a game against the Frontenacs before wrapping up the weekend with a game on Sunday afternoon in the nation’s capital against the Ottawa 67’s.
Thursday’s victory lifts the Greyhounds record to 6-3-0-0 while the Petes fall to 4-2-1-0 with the loss.