Hounds in a dog fight
It is like playoffs before the actual playoffs. As in three teams — the Soo Greyhounds, Owen Sound Attack and Sarnia Sting — are in a frantic race for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League.
All three teams have three games to play on the ’24-25 OHL regular season slate.
The Greyhounds are on the road to Sudbury to play the Wolves on March 19 before closing out with two home games that could well decide a playoff position — March 21 against the Saginaw Spirit and March 23 with Sarnia in town.
Owen Sound has road games against the Barrie Colts (March 20) and the Kitchener Rangers (March 21) before closing out with a home match against the last place Guelph Storm (March 22.)
As for Sarnia, the Sting plays the Spitfires in Windsor on March 20 before playing host to the Flint Firebirds on March 21 and then heading north to Sault Ste. Marie for the regular season finale on March 23.
Heading into the final week of play, the Greyhounds have 56 points while Owen Sound and Sarnia both have 55.
If there is a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, a one game showdown will be held on March 25 in the home rink of the team with the most regular season wins.
Of the three teams, the Greyhounds have the appearance of being the most experienced and most talented squad. And the Greyhounds showed a lot of what they are made of on a recent three games in three nights road trip to Windsor, Sarnia and Flint.
After losing to the Spitfires by a 6-3 score, the Greyhounds rebounded to edge Sarnia 5-4 and double up on Flint by a 6-3 count. The two tough road victories elevated the Hounds into seventh place after spending a few days slightly out of a playoff spot.
There is a lot to consider when looking ahead at the final week of the OHL regular season and which two of the three teams will wind up as the seventh seed and in possession of the eighth and final playoff spot. For one, seventh place means a first round playoff series with Windsor while eighth place earns a showdown with the number one ranked team in the OHL, the London Knights.
As for the Greyhounds, they most definitely have the play makers to secure one of the final two playoff spots.
Seasoned forward Marco Mignosa has scored 36 goals in just 55 games as one of the more dangerous players in the entire Western Conference. Meanwhile, second year forward Brady Martin — a high end prospect for this year’s National Hockey League draft — has scored 30 times. Another long-time Hound, Justin Cloutier, has 27 goals while NHL draft pick and import forward Noel Nordh has tallied 18 times in just 44 games. Then there is offensive whiz kid rookie defenseman Chase Reid who, remarkably, has 38 points in 37 games since joining the Greyhounds just before mid season.
Between the pipes, journeyman overage goalie Nolan Lalonde is the better option over Landon Miller, a fourth round NHL draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings. Lalonde was in the net for both recent away wins over Sarnia and Flint after Miller struggled — as he has for much of the season — in the loss to Windsor that began the road trip.
As these are playoff like games at this stage of the season, Lalonde has the experience of being with the reigning Memorial Cup champion Saginaw Spirit. Lalonde does carry the reputation of being hot and cold — hence having been traded by three OHL teams, the Erie Otters, Saginaw and the Kingston Frontenacs. But the Hounds seem to have considerable confidence in the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL prospect and Lalonde was in winning form in the recent back to back triumphs over Sarnia and Flint.
STING HAS SOO CREW: Sarnia will come to Hound Town for the regular season finale with a three pronged Sault Ste. Marie connection to it. Overage forward Tyson Doucette is a Sault product. Meanwhile, Sting assistant coaches David Matsos (1993 Memorial Cup champion) and Dustin Jeffrey (2005 to 2008) are both former top notch Greyhound forwards.
Greyhounds forward Marco Mignosa tries to slow down Ruslan Karimov of the Sting in a recent game at Progressive Auto Sales Arena in Sarnia. (photo by Mark Malone /Postmedia Network)