Greyhounds flip script, ride second period to win in Windsor (video)

Second periods have been haunting for the Soo Greyhounds of late and Saturday night the team may have exorcised some demons.

The team scored a pair of goals late in the second period in a 4-3 Ontario Hockey League win over the Windsor Spitfires at the WFCU Centre.

For a team that struggled recently in the second periods of games, the Greyhounds saw a different period from themselves against the Spitfires.

“There was a commitment to getting above the puck,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “Tonight’s game was funny because it was pretty clear our guys were committed to getting above the puck and making sure we weren’t diving down and managing the puck properly. You could tell that there was such a big focus on that that there was a bit of a disconnect on our pace of play with the puck.”

Speaking on the second period, Greyhounds captain Ryan O’Rourke felt the team proved something to themselves with a solid period against the Spitfires.

“We learned from our mistakes from past games,” O’Rourke said. “We had a pretty clear game plan tonight and we were pretty focused on playing structurally well and we were looking to play 60 minutes.”

O’Rourke added that the period is “a step in the right direction and we have to keep that mindset up.”

Overage defenceman Robert Calisti said the Greyhounds “simplified our game” in the second period against the Spitfires.

“We had a game plan of being as simple as possible,” Calisti added.

Windsor opened the scoring just 2:37 into the game when James Jodoin jumped on a turnover in the slot and beat Greyhounds starter Charlie Schenkel glove side.

Rookie forward Justin Cloutier got the Greyhounds on the board just under six minutes later with a power play goal.

The 2021 first rounder found himself at the edge of the Windsor crease and redirected a pass from 2020 first rounder Bryce McConnell-Barker past Windsor goalie Kyle Downey.

A pair of goals 1:17 apart late in the second period put the Greyhounds ahead 3-1 through 40 minutes.

On the power play. Robert Calisti made it 2-1 Greyhounds with a power play goal at 17:35.

The overage blueliner had his initial shot from the right faceoff circle blocked in traffic in the slot. The puck eventually found it’s way back to Calisti in the circle, who then beat Downey on his second chance.

Tanner Dickinson then extended the lead with 1:08 to go in the period when he got the puck in the left circle and beat Downey glove side.

Calisti called the late-period goals “huge.”

“They’re really big momentum-builders, especially going into the third period,” Calisti added. 

The Sault went up 4-1 midway through the third period when Tye Kartye got the Greyhounds third power play goal of the night.

The overage forward took a pass in the slot and beat Downey high stick side.

Jodoin got his second of the night for the Spitfires at 14:42 when he cut into the slot from the left side before beating Schenkel glove side to make it 4-2.

Pasquale Zito capped off the scoring with 35 seconds to go when he took a cross-ice pass from Wyatt Johnston before beating Schenkel.

Schenkel got the start for the Greyhounds in place of Samuel Ivanov, who was penciled in as the starter prior to the game but approached Dean following warmup and said he wasn’t 100 per cent.

“We didn’t feel comfortable putting him in (the game) in a situation where he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent,” Dean said.

Schenkel made 22 saves for the Greyhounds.

Dean said Schenkel “did an amazing job.”

“He looked really poised. He was swallowing pucks,” Dean added.

O’Rourke said Schenkel “played unbelievable.”

“He kept us in the game, made saves when we needed him and was definitely the engine of the team tonight,” O’Rourke added.

Rookie defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev assisted on a pair of goals for the Greyhounds in the victory.

Starting in place of Xavier Medina, who was injured for Windsor, Downey made 21 saves in the game.

Snapping a two-game losing skid in the process, the Greyhounds improve to 10-6-0-0 with Saturday’s win.

The team also extends its lead over the Spitfires atop the West Division standings to four points in the process.

Windsor falls to 6-5-0-2 with the loss.

On the injury front for the Greyhounds, defenceman Jacob Holmes, who suffered an eye injury in Friday’s loss in London, missed Saturday’s game.

With Holmes out, Calisti took his spot on a pairing with captain Ryan O’Rourke while Luc Brzustowski took Calisti’s spot on a pairing with Kudryavtsev.

The Greyhounds return to action on the road on Wednesday night in Saginaw against the Spirit.