Hounds, Wolves do battle
Soo Greyhounds and Sudbury Wolves will both be looking to show their teeth when Ontario Hockey League play resumes tonight following the Christmas holiday hiatus.
The northern foes will face off in a 7 p.m. encounter at GFL Memorial Gardens in downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
The teams take almost identical records into tonight’s match. Sudbury has 37 points from a record of 18-15-1 while the Soo has 36 points from a record of 17-16-2.
However, the disparity in conferences is very evident when comparing the Wolves and Hounds.
Sudbury’s 37 points have the Wolves in second place in the Eastern Conference. But the Soo’s 36 points are only good for seventh spot in the Western Conference.
The Wolves come into tonight’s match having lost four straight games just before Christmas. The Hounds, on the other hand, are 7-2-1 in their last 10 outings.
Workhorse goalie Bailey Brkin is expected to make his 17th successive start for the Hounds. The Western Hockey League refugee has a record of 11-4-1 with a 3.21 goals against average and .894 save percentage since being acquired by the Hounds on November 12.
Offensively, local product Cole MacKay tops the Hounds scoring chart with 19 goals, 17 assists, 36 points to date. Following MacKay are fellow forwards Tye Kartye with 14-21-35 totals, Rory Kerins at 18-16-34 and Zack Trott at 12-22-34.
And veteran defenseman Billy Constantinou has excelled since being obtained by the Soo in a trade with the Kingston Frontenacs earlier this season.
Constantinou has six goals, 17 assists, 23 points in 26 games as a Hound. Overall, his numbers include seven goals, 22 assists, 29 points in 34 games this season.
Kyle Raftis and the Hounds organization don’t get enough credit for the job they’ve done. They haven’t had the premium picks that their division rivals have stockpiled but few teams have been more resourceful, more competitive and more entertaining than the Soo. My only beef is they don’t take enough local and northern kids but that’s trivial to the results.