After a pair of losses on home ice last weekend, the Soo Greyhounds went on the road in search of a better effort as the team opened up its first extended trip of the Ontario Hockey League regular season.
What the team got was goals from six different players in a 7-1 win over the Guelph Storm on Friday night at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph.
After the teams traded goals in the opening period, the Greyhounds proceeded to score six unanswered goals en route to the victory.
The Greyhounds scored five times on 12 shots in the second period, which included three goals in just under four minutes midway through the frame and goals 51 seconds apart by Jaromir Pytlik and Jacob LeGuerrier.
The goals by Pytlik and LeGuerrier broke open what was a 2-1 game at that point.
Greyhounds coach John Dean credited the defensive side of the game in the second period and the role it played in the team being able to create offensively.
“Our defensive zone coverage and our neutral zone was really disciplined and structured and as a result, we were able to get the puck and when we had the puck, we managed it very well.”
“With this group, we talk a lot about offence and when the puck is on their sticks, a lot of times you can let skilled players do what they can do,” Dean also said. “When this skilled group takes care of their responsibilities away from the puck, I’m pretty confident once they have it, if they have it a majority of the game, they’re going to do good things with it.”
Storm coach George Burnett called Friday’s game “a lesson.”
“There was a ten-minute span in the second period where obviously we really weren’t good at all,” Burnett told GuelphToday. “We didn’t really touch the puck at all. We didn’t start with it and we didn’t have it. They move and they move well when they have the puck and we paid the big price.”
Rory Kerins had a pair of goals for the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds line of Pytlik, Cole MacKay and Tanner Dickinson combined for 10 points in the win.
Pytlik had a goal and three assists while MacKay chipped in with a goal and a pair of helpers. Dickinson had one of each for the Greyhounds.
“We worked together a lot [in practice],” MacKay said of the trio, who played together against the Petes last weekend. “It was communication and hard work and we just clicked.”
LeGuerrier also had a goal and an assist.
Rookie forward Marc Boudreau had the other goal for the Greyhounds.
Goaltender Christian Propp made 28 saves.
Dean called Friday’s game a “good response” after dropping a pair of games last weekend, which included a disappointing effort against Peterborough last Sunday.
“The Peterborough game left a lot to be desired and as a coach, you’re a little nervous about how your team is going to respond the next weekend and so far, game one was a good response,” Dean said.
Dean added that he felt there are still things to clean up from Friday’s win.
“Our third period could have been sharper and there were turnovers in the first [period],” Dean said. “We’re still learning how to play a full 60 minutes.”
Pytlik also spoke of building on the win.
“We played good, but we can still be better,” the sophomore forward said. “We can be better in the details, but it was a pretty good game from us.”
Cam Hillis had the lone goal for the Storm.
Goaltender Owen Bennett made 17 saves for the Storm in two periods of work. The rookie goaltender was pulled after giving up five goals on 23 shots.
Tanner Wickware stopped seven shots in the third period.
Veteran forward Joe Carroll left the game for the Greyhounds in the second period and did not return to action.
Dean said the veteran left the game with an upper-body injury. His status for Saturday’s game in Owen Sound against the Attack was not known on Friday night.
In other action around the OHL on Friday night, in Erie, Arthur Kaliyev scored four times as the Hamilton Bulldogs beat the Erie Otters 4-1.
In Kingston, Shane Wright had a pair of goals, which included the overtime winner as the Kingston Frontenacs beat the Niagara IceDogs 4-3.
In Ottawa, six unanswered goals lifted the Ottawa 67’s to a 6-1 win over the Mississauga Steelheads. Graeme Clarke had a pair of goals for Ottawa.
In Sarnia, four unanswered goals led to a 6-3 win for the Peterborough Petes over the Sarnia Sting. Liam Kirk had two goals and an assist while Nick Robertson also scored a pair of goals for the Petes.
In Sudbury, the Oshawa Generals scored five times in the third period in a 5-4 win over the Sudbury Wolves. Brett Neumann had two goals and an assist for Oshawa.
In Kitchener, Jacob Ingham made 43 saves as the Kitchener Rangers beat the Windsor Spitfires 3-1. Riley Damiani and Liam Hawel had a goal and an assist for the Rangers.
In London, Barret Kirwin scored 58 seconds into overtime as the Owen Sound Attack beat the London Knights 5-4. Kirwin finished the night with two goals and an assist. Brady Lyle assisted on three Owen Sound goals.