While not pleased with their effort, the focus was understandably shifted following the game.
The Soo Greyhounds dropped a 6-1 Ontario Hockey League decision to the Ottawa 67’s on Sunday afternoon at TD Place in Ottawa.
Following the game, it was more about an injured teammate.
Greyhounds defenceman Luc Brzustowski left the game early in the second period on a stretcher after taking a hit from Ottawa forward Tyler Boucher near the 67’s bench.
Brzustowski fell to the ice and the play was immediately blown dead. Paramedics were called onto the ice immediately and the Greyhounds blueliner was taken to a local hospital after having a seizure.
Dean said that, prior to speaking with the media, he spoke to Brzustowski, and the defenceman was in good spirits. Dean also said that initial tests took away some of the significant concerns with regard to the injury.
“He’s doing well now,” Dean said. “He’s got some tests that he’s going to have to go through because of the incident on the ice. He was in good spirit. He was laughing and chuckling.”
The team planned to visit Brzustowski in the hospital after leaving the rink though whether or not he would be travelling back to Sault Ste. Marie with the team today remained up in the air.
Dean said the injury did take an emotional toll on the players.
“We had three or four kids on the bench in tears, very upset,” Dean said. “It’s tough to come back from something like that. When perspective hits you like that and you realize how fragile life is, it’s tough to put it all out there right away. It’s draining.”
Greyhounds captain Bryce McConnell-Barker called it “tough to see.”
“We all love Luc, and we were really concerned,” McConnell-Barker added.
In an interview on the 67’s website, Ottawa coach Dave Cameron also touched on Brzustowski’s injury.
“He gave us a thumbs up on his way off the ice,” Cameron said. “We all breathed a big sigh of relief.”
Boucher also spoke to Brzustowski briefly as the latter was taken from the ice.
For the Greyhounds, the game itself is one they’d like to forget.
“We were very passive in our own zone,” Dean said. “We were sloppy moving the puck, not aggressive on the forecheck. That’s what got us paid in Kingston. That’s a game (where) whatever question you have for me, it’s probably going to be answered with, ‘Yes, we didn’t do that very well.’”
Dean went on to call the game “probably our worst effort of the year.”
“It’s one that we’re going to need to wipe away real quick,” Dean also said.
McConnell-Barker called it a game where they got outplayed.
“We weren’t competing today, and we got outplayed for sure,” McConnell-Barker said. “They had a lot of O zone time and we didn’t really control the puck or make many plays today.”
After a scoreless opening period, Brad Gardiner got the 67’s on the board 19 seconds into the middle frame. The puck ended up on Gardner’s stick after a bad clearing attempt by the Greyhounds near the net; Gardiner got the puck and beat Schenkel's high glove.
Shortly after Brzustowski’s injury, Ottawa made it 2-0 as Sault product Cooper Foster deflected a point shot by Anthony Costantini past Schenkel at 1:58.
Luca Pinelli gave Ottawa a 3-0 lead 28 seconds later as he beat Schenkel after a shot from Vinzenz Rohrer from a sharp angle on the right side was stopped by the Greyhounds netminder. The rebound made its way to Pinelli, who beat Schenkel's glove side.
Chris Barlas made it 4-0 Ottawa at 13:31. The second-year forward skated down the right wing and cut to the goal before being stopped initially by Schenkel. Barlas proceeded to bang the rebound into the Sault goal to extend the lead further.
Ottawa took a 5-0 lead on the power play early in the third period. Parked in the left faceoff circle, Boucher one-timed a pass from Costantini past Samuel Ivanov in the Sault goal.
Approaching the midway point of the third, Cameron Tolnai made it 6-0 as he took a pass from Brady Stonehouse on a give-and-go before beating Ivanov's glove side.
Rookie forward Connor Clattenburg broke the shutout bid of Ottawa goaltender Collin MacKenzie as he skated down the left wing and beat the 67’s netminder from the left circle.
In two periods of work for the Greyhounds, Schenkel stopped 32 of 36 shots, while Ivanov stopped 10 of 12 in relief in the third period.
Pinelli finished the day with a goal and an assist for Ottawa, while Costantini had a pair of helpers in the win.
MacKenzie stopped 22 shots.
Before returning home for a pair of games next weekend, the Greyhounds will be back on the road Wednesday night in Sudbury to face the Wolves.
On the weekend, the team will host the Guelph Storm on Friday night and the Niagara Ice Dogs on Saturday.
The Greyhounds fall to 3-5-3-1 with Sunday’s loss while Ottawa improves to 10-1-0-0.