Hounds fall to Knights

Just 48 hours after battling back to tie the Brampton Battalion, the Soo Greyhounds were looking to do something no other tem in the Ontario Hockey League has done this season, beat the London Knights.

Back by a three goal explosion late in the third period, the Knights downed the Greyhounds 6-3 at Memorial Gardens.

The Knights entered Sunday night's game against the Greyhounds with a perfect 7-0 record but were also entering their third game in three nights.

The Knights showed some signs of fatigue early on in the game, but managed to open the scoring when Josh Beaulieu knocked a loose puck past Hounds starter Kyle Gajewski at 5:32.

The Hounds fought back though and Jeff Larsh got the Hounds on the board at 8:20 to tie the game at 1-1.

Later in the period, with the Hounds on the power play, Trevor Kell scored a shorthanded marker for the Knights with less than two minutes left in the period to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Matt Puntureri got the Hounds back on even terms in the second period when he broke away on a two-on-one and proceeded to beat Knights netminder Ryan MacDonald on the short side at 8:23.

Jordan Foreman got the lead back for the Knights at 13:44 when he batted home another loose puck to give the Knights, considered by many to be the top team in the Canadian Hockey League, a 3-2 lead.

Jordan Smith got the game back on even terms when he took a cross-ice feed from veteran Blair Jarrett and fired a shot that beat MacDonald to send the game into the third tied at 3-3.

In the third, particularly in the second half of the period, the wheels fell off for the Greyhounds who had put together a fairly solid effort up to that point.

First, with the Knights on the power play after a too many men on the ice penalty to the Greyhounds, Dylan Hunter converted a cross-ice feed to make the score 4-3 Knights.

Just over a minute later, a turnover by Hounds defenceman Jordan Smith led to a Beaulieu, who was named the game's first star, picking up his second goal of the night at 13:49.

Hunter capped off the London scoring by scoring into an empty net with just over 30 seconds left in the game.

Hounds coach Marty Abrams said following the game that the too many men penalty in the third period was the turning point as the Knights seemed to gather momentum after the power play goal that was eventually scored.

"It has everything to do with having a third defenceman on the ice," Abrams said of the penalty, "and it cost us. That's the hockey game right there, plain and simple. After (London) scored the fourth goal, the momentum changed. Sooner or later the momentum has to change."

Abrams added that to put in the effort that his team did for much of the game against one of the Canadian Hockey League's top teams only to drop the game is tough.

"I think (our players) have to look at the positives," Abrams went on to say. "It was a great effort for 50 minutes. But to hold the number one team in Canada to 25 or 28 shots and come up with nothing is discouraging."

The Hounds now prepare to take their 1-5-1 record on the road as next weekend the Hounds play in Kitchener on Friday and then a return match with London on Saturday evening.

Next home action for the Hounds will be on Oct. 22 when the Windsor Spitfires make their first appearance at Memorial Gardens in a 7:30 p.m. start.