GM#66 - SOW 3-2 vs Saginaw - Wednesday, Mar.10/10

[Jerry Shields]

Sault Ste. Marie vs Saginaw 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Essar Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Greyhounds-Spirit Preview

GREYHOUNDS (34-26-1-4) vs SAGINAW (32-27-4-2) Season series: These divisional rivals have met 7 times this season, the Hounds have won 3 of the games. Thompson and Nolan have 4 goals each against Saginaw but Cooper has the most points with 9. Every game the Hounds have won against the Spirit - Lehner has started. Big Story: A win by the Hounds clinches 5th place in the West and still keeps a shot at 4th place alive. A win by Saginaw threatens the Hounds chances at staying in 5th and makes the weekend games critical to hold on to 5th place. Can the Hounds bounce back and find some offense after being shut-out for the last two games in a row. Team Scope: Greyhounds -- The Hound forwards have to be willing to pay the price, in the corners, to generate some offense. The Hounds' special teams have only been average and need to return to form for this game, and heading into the playoffs. The Hounds should have Nolan back in the lineup after missing the Windsor game. Spirit -- Like the Hounds, the Spirit come off two losses to Plymouth and Windsor. The Spirit penalty kill has been weak this season, compared to the rest of the team, and could be the difference in what's expected to be a tight game. Galansky has a shutout and one good relief appearance against the Hounds in the last to battles.  He has played two games in a row, will he get the call, or will Saginaw go back to the work-horse Pasquale? Who's Hot -- Skellett has scored 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 5 games. Trevor Morbeck hasn't had a 'minus' game since Feb.20th and quietly does a great job behind the bigger name rookies.

Regular Season Records   W-L-OTL-SOL HOME ROAD SOO 34-26-1-4 18-11-0-2 16-15-1-2 SAG 32-27-4-2 21-10-2-0 11-17-2-2     Team Stat Comparison   228 Goals 231 205 Goals Against 226 24.0% Power Play Success 22.2% 4th Power Play Rank 6th 85.1% Shorthanded Success 78.4% 2nd Shorthanded Rank 15th 1264 Penalty Minutes 1292   Goalie Matchup   GOALIE GP GAA SO SV% B. O'Hagan 27 3.16 1 .889 R. Lehner 45 2.87 5 .916 E. Pasquale 48 3.32 0 .913 T. Galansky 8 3.66 1 .915   Team Stat Leaders   G B. Thompson 40 J. Shalla 32 A J. Muzzin 51 J. Skellett 59 PTS V. Cooper 65 J. Skellett 84 PIM D. King 165 C. Sol 138 Rookie N. Cousins 30 V. Trocheck 42

The Official OHL Gamesheet can be found Here (click gamesheet)...

[malarkey]

Got an e-mail from spiritfan8 this AM-she and Mr.spiritfan8 are coming up for tomorrow night's game. Their tickets are in Sec. 117. You can't miss her-she is a tad on the short side and clad in Spirit gear.....I would guess that her ever present horn will be hanging from her neck-it's a cool smaller red one. I KNOW she would love to meet y'all. She is definitely one of those who gives hockey fandom a good name!

But the Hound team does NOT have to make her trip memorable with a "W" landing in the Saginaw column!! That is taking hospitality to OOT fans too far!!!

She already got seats in the number 1 section...what more can we do?

[spiritfan8]

LOL! You beat me to the punch, Malarkey! I will second the notion that I would love to meet some of the Hounds' forum users. Our seats are Sec 117 Row B (is that for real the second row?? Wow--better than my Saginaw seats!!) Seats 9 and 10, and as you were informed, I will be quite recognizable. I am counting on the Spirit to bring home the W, so my long trip will not be in vain!!

[Hunter]

Have a safe ride up.  Weather looks to be very cooperating.  Hope to get a chance to say hello.

[Alex]

LOL! You beat me to the punch, Malarkey! I will second the notion that I would love to meet some of the Hounds' forum users. Our seats are Sec 117 Row B (is that for real the second row?? Wow--better than my Saginaw seats!!) Seats 9 and 10, and as you were informed, I will be quite recognizable. I am counting on the Spirit to bring home the W, so my long trip will not be in vain!!

HAHA!  I have the 4 seats in front of you!  Yep, second row, 2 feet from the Hounds bench.  I will accept your cheers if you can forgive my horn, clapper, cheers, and of course my son!   It'll be nice to meet you!

[spiritfan8]

Sounds like we will be a matched pair, except of course that we will be cheering at different times!! Behind the Hounds' bench---GULP!! I hope the Spirit appreciate my advance into enemy territory!
Greatly looking forward to the evening!!

[Alex]

Sounds like we will be a matched pair, except of course that we will be cheering at different times!! Behind the Hounds' bench---GULP!! I hope the Spirit appreciate my advance into enemy territory!
Greatly looking forward to the evening!!

As long as you are better behaved than the Spits fan I had behind me a few weeks ago...my wife was ready to claw his eyes out.

[memcup93]

Fairly simple recipe for success tonight-STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX! Saginaw tends to take a lot of penalties so if we keep our legs moving and draw the penalties we can re-awaken a slumbering power play and put this game in the win column. Let's not wait until the weekend action to lay claim to the 5th(4th)spot.Do it tonight!!!!

[Jerry Shields]

The Hounds are down a goal - thanks to a goal by Telegin.
A pretty tame game considering the stakes.

[Hounds Fan]

Hello fellow hounds fans! Im back after god knows how long of an absence from the forum    anyways I didn't make tonights game because of class but great to see the boys erase a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd and pull out a 3-2 SO win!     

[howndawg]

Not sure I agree with Muzzin as part of the 3 stars.... Dubchak, Nolan, Cat, Lehner, Thompson Take your pick, but NOT Muzzin

[howndawg]

i think that this pretty well clinches atleast 5th as I believe we would have the tie breaker over Erie

[Jerry Shields]

If Pasquale earns a star then certainly Lehner should have had one.
Not sure what's up with the star selection lately.
2 Spirit players on a Soo win, in the Sault!!?  What's with that - and it's happened more than it should lately.
Is Montague and Ruicci picking stars now!?

Great win for the boys!!
A pretty boring first two periods but they awoke to win in the 3rd!

Lehner was pumped to win in the shootout - the replay wait must have been agony for him!

[Hunter]

So what was up with the replay?  Was the net knocked off before the puck crossed the line?  Or was the initial save?  Why did it have to go "upstairs"? 

By far, the longest call upstairs that I've seen.  And hey, where is upstairs anyways?  Is it in our building or does someone in the GTA make the calls? 

Looks like a Whalers / Hounds matchup.  With a small chance of us still getting home ice.  Small yes.....but still a chance. 

[Jerry Shields]

Just to clarify the winning save and replay.....for those that didn't stay until the end to see it.

It appears that Lehner made the save and then was knocked into the post and the net came off.
The puck does roll across the line but the net was off - thru no fault of Lehner and so the goal was waved off.

I don't think the ref liked the call - in fact he came over to the Saginaw bench and told to coach that it was a goal but the net being off caused it to be waved off.  Interesting way to end the game.

Great shootout goals by Nolan and Cat!

[Alex]

Holy k-rap...I could barely handle the stress of that one....I fear the playoffs may shave years off my life.  Excellent job in coming back from the abyss...after 8 scoreless periods a breakout was inevitable. 
I totally missed whatever happened that put Shaw back on defense tonight...did Fox leave early? 
Nice to have 5th all sewn up...the fight for 6th looks interesting though!
Awesome job by Lehner...he kept things close waiting for the offense to light up. 
I was surprised to see McCauley in the shootout...he has 5 goals in almost 4 months.
Friday night is going to be a wild game win or lose...the series starts that night in my mind.

[Jerry Shields]

Fox left holding his shoulder.  Not sure if he dislocated it, or it could have been arm or wrist.  But it looked like a shoulder problem.

[Alex]

BTW, It was a pleasure to meet Spiritfan8 and her husband.  Sitting right in the belly of the Hounds bench, they were not afraid to support their Spirit and that is commendable.  Polite, classy, and hockey-knowledgeable...3 qualities I can appreciate.  You are welcome to sit behind us anytime!

[Mikey]

What I saw on the replay of the shootout was that lehner made the save originially but the puck went out and hit Ross' skate and then back in the net. It was very close with the net being knocked off as well but I believe since he made the original save, once it hits Ross for a second time, the shootout attempt is considered dead.

[Louis]

And in a shootout you have one chance, not 2, so the second attempt would not count.  I don't understand why the refs might think it should count.