The Soo Jr. Greyhounds moved one step closer to their goal of an NOJHL league championship Monday night.
After dropping the opening game of their best-of-seven final with North Bay on Friday night, the Jr. Hounds were back in the friendly confines of Memorial Gardens on Monday and managed to even up the championship series with a 4-2 victory over the regular season champion Skyhawks.
It was a game in which the goaltenders were not extremely busy, as the teams combined for just 42 shots, though both stoppers were up to the task of keeping the game close.
The first period saw little in the way of major scoring chances as the goaltenders on this night, Martin Perreault for North Bay and Shane Bellini for the Soo, faced few shots as the Skyhawks outshot the Jr. Hounds 6-5 in the period. Of those five Jr. Hound shots, Luke Stellmach managed to give the home side a 1-0 lead late when he beat Perreault's glove side at 18:57. The Jr. Hounds could have been up two goals if not for a great save by Perreault on Jeff Rainville in the final minute of the period.
In the second period the Jr. Hounds opened up a two-goal lead as Matt West scored a power play off a scramble 1:32 into the period. Then, just over two minutes later, Noel Lortie whistled a shot Bellini, beating him top corner, glove side. Rainville, who was named the game's first star, had a strong game and another chance to put the Jr. Hounds back up by two but was stopped on a shorthanded breakaway by Perreault late in the period.
In the third period, Rainville made up for missed opportunities by putting the Jr. Hounds up by two goals with a beautiful tally. Rainville walked over the Skyhawk blueline, then walked around North Bay defenceman Bruce Winn and moved in alone on Perreault and beat him.
Nathan Daly then brought the Skyhawks to within one goal after he took a feed from Kyle VanGronigan and one-timed a shot past Bellini beating the Soo netminder short side. David Frawley of North Bay had two glorious chances late, misfiring on both after having an open net to shoot at. Moments after the two chances by Frawley, and with an empty net to shoot at, Joey Coccimiglio took a pass from Kelly Thomson and moved through the neutral zone and scored into the empty net to give the Jr. Hounds the 4-2 victory .
Bellini was strong in the Soo net stopping 18 shots in the win while Perreault stopped 19 in the loss.
The series now shifts back to North Bay for Game 3 on Thursday night while Game 4 is Friday night at Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie at 7:30 p.m.