With seven games left in the Ontario Hockey League regular season, Soo Greyhounds coach John Dean was harder on his team Friday night than he would usually be in the same circumstances.
On Friday night, there was a lot to like in the Greyhounds effort against the Barrie Colts, currently in a battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Greyhounds outshot the Colts by a 45-19 margin but dropped a 3-2 decision to the Central Division team at the GFL Memorial Gardens.
Despite playing a game that he agreed was a “great game”, Dean was also critical of some key mistakes in the contest that proved costly.
“In game 61, we cannot put pucks over the glass with five minutes to go on a clean won faceoff. We cannot miss clear assignments on the penalty kill. We can’t turn over pucks for breakaways,” Dean said.
“At some point, we’ve got to buck up here and execute,” Dean added. “Phenomenal game. Three very poor mistakes. These aren’t minor details. These are very easy assignments. In game 61, you shouldn’t have nerves, you should be confident in the way you’re playing and need to be dialed in structurally.”
Asked is his team deserved a better fate in the game. Dean said he felt the Greyhounds did, but “those things haunt you.”
Colts coach Marty Williamson said following the game that his team “didn’t deserve the two points.”
“They’re fighting tooth and nail to get into the playoffs and we looked like a team that just didn’t want to battle tonight and didn’t want to race,” Williamson added. “There was only two words to say to my team after the game and that was ‘Ben Hrebik.’”
The Colts netminder was stellar for the visitors in the win and Williamson agreed that goaltending was the difference for Barrie.
“He was fantastic,” Williamson said.
“I don’t think, other than our goalie, there could be another guy in that room that could be happy with their effort tonight,” Williamson also said.
Dean also called Hrebik “fantastic” in the game.
Williamson added that Friday was a night in which nothing went well for his team.
“If you don’t win races and win battles, everything is not going to go well for you,” Williamson said in assessing his team in the loss. “They were the hungrier team. We got a lucky goal in the beginning and then we got two power play goals. Other than that, I don’t think we did anything to generate much and it’s a bad game by us.”
A team that has struggled offensively at times this season, Dean said he felt his team “should score more than two tonight.”
“I feel like guys were bearing down and trying,” Dean added. “I don’t like when we miss nets. I don’t like when we have a lack of net presence, especially a team that struggles to finish, we need to make sure we have traffic, but there were times where you think some of those pucks have to go in.”
“It’s pretty clear that we controlled the pace of play,” Dean also said.
Barrie got on the board first as Carter Lowe jumped on a loose puck in the slot after a Colts dump in was mishandled in the corner by a Greyhounds player. Lowe proceeded to beat Sault netminder Nolan Lalonde high glove side at 9:29 to give Barrie a 1-0 lead.
The Colts took a 2-0 lead as Kashawn Aitcheson skated into the slot on the power play and took a shot that handcuffed Lalonde on the power play 2:53 later.
Chase Reid got the Greyhounds on the board at 5:54 of the second period as he skated down the right wing and sent the puck to the net where it deflected past Hrebik to make it a 2-1 game.
The Greyhounds tied the game in the third as Reid got his second of the night, beating Hrebik with a shot stick side through traffic in the slot at 13:48.
Barrie retook the lead with 5:27 to go as Emil Hemming beat Lalonde with a one-timer in close on a pass from Cole Beaudoin on the power play.
Returning to the Greyhounds lineup after missing time due to injury, Lalonde made 16 saves in the game.
Hrebik stopped 43 shots for the Colts in the victory.
Aitcheson and Hemming had a goal and an assist each for Barrie offensively.
The Greyhounds have a short turnaround as the team returns to action Saturday night at home against the Oshawa Generals.
The Greyhounds fall to 24-34-2-1 with Friday’s loss, but the team remains in a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with the Owen Sound Attack.
The Attack, also in action on Friday night, dropped a 4-1 decision on the road to the Erie Otters. Owen Sound is also in action on Saturday night as the team wraps up a weekend set with the Otters in Erie.
The Sarnia Sting moved three points ahead of the Greyhounds and Attack in the standing, also with a game in hand on both clubs. Sarnia picked up a 5-1 win on the road against the Guelph Storm on Friday, a result that leaves the Storm six points back of the Greyhounds and Attack in the playoff race.
Barrie improves to 38-19-2-2 with the win on Friday and the team sits three points back of the Brantford Bulldogs for top spot in the OHL’s Eastern Conference.