Hounds await Attack


By
March 21, 2014

Houndtown will be home to a pair of Ontario Hockey League playoff games, tonight and Saturday.

Soo Greyhounds, seeded second in the Western Conference, will face the seventh-seeded Owen Sound Attack in the first-round, best-of-seven series.

The Greyhounds put up 95 points from a regular-season record of 44-17-7 and placed atop the West Division standings.

The Attack finished 25 points back of the Soo from a record of 31-29-8 while finishing fourth in the Midwest Division behind teams with the three best records in the entire OHL — Guelph Storm, Erie Otters and London Knights.

Led by 91-point scorer Sergey Tolchinsky, plus-minus leader Patrick Watling and goalie Matt Murray, who won 32 games, the Hounds — featuring their puck-possession, attention-to-every-detail, style of play — have been cast as favourites in the series.

The Attack features 28-goal scorer Holden Cook and goalie Brandon Hope, who accounted for 28 of Owen Sound’s 31 victories.

PREDICTION

No matter how well Owen Sound plays, if the Soo performs to its potential, it should win the series, it’s really that simple. Let’s say Greyhounds in six.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1: Mar. 21 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)
Game 2: Mar. 22 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)
Game 3: Mar. 24 in Owen Sound (7 p.m.)
Game 4: Mar. 26 in Owen Sound (7 p.m.)
Game 5: Mar. 28 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)
Game 6: Mar. 30 in Owen Sound (2 p.m.)
Game 7: Apr. 1 in Sault Ste. Marie (7:07 p.m.)

PHOTO: Soo Greyhounds forward Patrick Watling led the team with a plus-minus rating of +35 this OHL season. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)


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