Greyhounds present enchancment in rematch with Spirit

On the heels of a lopsided highway loss 24 hours earlier, the Soo Greyhounds wrapped up the house portion of their Ontario Hockey League exhibition schedule on a extra optimistic notice.

It wasn’t image excellent, however the workforce rebounded in a 3-1 win over the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday evening on the GFL Memorial Gardens.

The win got here after the Spirit handed the Greyhounds a 9-3 defeat in Midland, Mich. on Friday evening in a recreation that Greyhounds coach John Dean known as “a fairly sloppy recreation on our aspect of it.”

Dean stated following Saturday’s rematch that including some veterans to the lineup was a assist in the win to calm issues down, however added that “in no way did I feel the sport was a murals.”

“In exhibition, you search for the start of a number of the particulars you’ve been educating over the course of the week and the course of coaching camp,” Dean stated. “Tonight, we noticed a variety of good issues, however a variety of breakdowns too. You might see the sense of objective and once I see sense of objective, I’ve no downside teaching that.”

For the Spirit and coach Chris Lazary, the sport was about getting some expertise for the youthful gamers nonetheless with the membership.

“No one cares about outcomes this time of 12 months, to be sincere,” Lazary stated. “It’s about getting your younger guys expertise, making an attempt to place them in conditions to really feel the league, get them as much as your fashion of play. We’re not wanting on the finish consequence. We’re taking a look at the place we’re and our id.”

The Greyhounds opened the scoring 1:24 into the competition when Marco Mignosa beat Saginaw goaltender Brett Fullerton stick aspect on a breakaway after a Spirit turnover within the impartial zone.

Carson Christy tied the sport for the Spirit at 4:01 later when he went to the web and redirected a cross from Luke McNamara on the left wing on a 2-on-1 previous Sault netminder Charlie Schenkel.

Bryce McConnell-Barker gave the Greyhounds a 2-1 lead within the center body when he stepped previous a Saginaw defender within the left faceoff circle earlier than beating Fullerton at 12:01, giving the Greyhounds the lead for good within the contest.

With 2:10 to go in regulation time and the Spirit on the ability play with their goalie pulled, Jordan D’Intino took a cross from Tyler Savard and scored into the empty Saginaw objective to make it 3-1.

The objective got here with the Greyhounds down a pair of gamers because the Spirit pulled Fullerton shortly after a penalty to overage Sault ahead Kalvyn Watson.

Schenkel made 26 saves for the Greyhounds within the win, going the space for the house aspect.

“Charlie was a very strong, calming presence,” Dean stated. “He made the blokes in entrance of him really feel very comfy that in case you make a mistake, he’s going to be there for us.”

D’Intino and McConnell-Barker completed the evening with a objective and an help every for the Greyhounds within the win.

Fullerton stopped 20 photographs for the Spirit within the loss.

After a while off from recreation motion, the Greyhounds will wrap up exhibition play on Sept. 23 on the highway in opposition to the Sudbury Wolves. The workforce will then open common season play the next weekend with a pair of video games at residence in opposition to the North Bay Battalion.