Hounds of the highway
Soo Greyhounds may only be in seventh place in the 10-team Western Conference but their road record is the best among the five-member West Division of the Ontario Hockey League.
While just a .500 team at home through 27 games with a record of 12-12-3, the Greyhounds are an impressive 14-9-4 in 27 road contests.
And the Hounds, who won on the road at Windsor on Thursday, play two more away from home this weekend — Saturday at Saginaw and Sunday in Sarnia.
As the Hounds road record is currently tops in the West Division, their 32 points is third-most among the 10 teams of the Western Conference.
To be sure, Hounds head coach Drew Bannister has a simple explanation as to why his team has a better record away from home.
“We are a young team and I am thinking that being so young, our players put a bit too much pressure on themselves when playing at home,” Bannister reasoned. “Being so young, it’s like we are more relaxed playing on the road.”
Bannister chuckled when asked if it will actually be better if the Greyhounds don’t have home-ice advantage come playoff time.
“That’s a good question,” he laughed. “Let’s just say that we want and need to improve our record at home.”
PHOTO: Greyhound coach Drew Bannister has his young team playing rather well on the road. (Photo by Ali Pearson.)
I like the speed and work ethic of the Hounds. Previous road trip they blew through Sudbury, North Bay and Missy – impressive.