After an unsatisfying performance in game four, Soo Greyhounds coach John Dean said his team came back determined, and it showed
A sixth game wasn’t on the menu for the London Knights and Soo Greyhounds.
Proving playing on the road wasn’t an issue, the Greyhounds grabbed three wins in enemy territory to beat the London Knights in five games and advance to round two of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.
The trio of wins on the road in the series included the Greyhounds blanking the Knights 4-0 on Friday night at London’s Canada Life Place to end the best-of-seven first round series between the two clubs with the Greyhounds prevailing in five games.
“The fourth one’s always the hardest to win, the series clincher. To come in and play a game like we did is incredible,” said forward Brady Martin
“We wanted to win this one badly,” added overage forward Marco Mignosa.
Greyhounds coach John Dean said his team looked determined in the win.
“Extremely determined to right the wrong of game four,” Dean said. “The guys know they had a lot more to give, and they weren’t going to let that happen again. We talked about process and learning from your mistakes really quick in the playoffs and to our guy’s credit, they did.”
“We put in a really complete game,” Dean also said.
Dean also spoke of the timing of goals from Mignosa in the game, one of which came late in the second period with the Knights pushing while trailing by a pair of goals.
“London was really pushing us in the second period. We did not like our second period at all and Marty makes an incredible play to Miggy in the back door. That was probably really tough on London to have such a great push there and for Marty and Miggy to make such a spectacular play, but that’s what special players do.”
“(London) had their push there and for our line to go out and make it 3-0 was massive for us going into the third period,” Martin added about the goal.
Dean said he was pleased with the Greyhounds compete and energy in the win.
“Our guys (were) dogged, determined,” Dean said. “Even when we fought the puck, (we were) determined to make up for their mistake, block shots. That’s the stuff we care about. It’s the action after the mistake that’s most important and after we made mistakes, guys really dug in, blocked shots (and) did what it took to make sure the puck didn’t go in our net.”
“We were on top of pucks a lot,” Mignosa said. “Guys were tracking, especially in the first and third periods. We had a little lull there in the second period and then, one of the best goalies in the league comes up big for us. It was an all-around good effort.”
Carter George picked up the shutout for the Greyhounds in the series-clinching victory, stopping 25 shots.
“I knew our team was going to have a good response after game four,” George said. “We weren’t very happy with our performance, and I knew we were going to come out gunning and that’s what we did. We were really good. The boys playing their game allowed me to do what I do best and that’s give them a chance to win. They were really good in front of me.”
The Greyhounds opened the scoring in game five as Mignosa took a shot from near the blueline that found its way past Jeremy Martin and a London defenceman battling at the edge of the crease, beating Knights goaltender Aleksei Medvedev stick side 2:14 into the contest.
The visitors would take a 2-0 lead thanks to a goal by Chase Reid at 7:52 of the opening period. Reid took a pass in the high slot from Lukas Fischer and beat Medvedev with a shot high glove side, extending the Sault lead.
Mignosa would give the Greyhounds a 3-0 lead in the late stages of the second period. The veteran forward stepped out from below the goalline after going behind the London net and redirected a back-door pass from Brady Martin on the left wing past Medvedev with 3:16 to go in the frame.
Brady Martin would seal the win for the Greyhounds at 14:14 of the third period when he beat Medvedev from the side of the net off a pass from Jeremy Marin in the slot on the power play.
Mignosa finished the night with two goals and two assists while Brady Martin added a goal and a pair of helpers with the Greyhounds also getting a pair of assists from Jeremy Martin.
Medvedev made 23 saves for the Knights in the loss.
The Greyhounds will now face the Kitchener Rangers in round two. A schedule for the series isn’t set at this point, though the Rangers have home ice advantage as the top seed in the Western Conference.