Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

Coming off a strong 5–2 home victory over the visiting London Knights on January 21st, the fourth-place Soo Greyhounds carried their momentum into the weekend, hosting the fifth-place Eastern Conference North Bay Battalion on Friday, January 24th at the Memorial Gardens. It was the first of a two-game set between the clubs in Sault Ste. Marie, and the Greyhounds delivered a composed, shutdown performance, skating to a 3–0 win.

After a scoreless opening period that featured tight checking and disciplined defensive play at both ends, the Greyhounds broke through in the second. At the 9:30 mark, Jordan Charron opened the scoring, wiring home his 23rd goal of the season off a setup from Christopher Brown to give the Soo a 1–0 lead.

Just 54 seconds later, the Greyhounds doubled their advantage. Justin Cloutier, recently returned to the lineup in January 2025, made an immediate impact, scoring his first goal of the season at 10:24. Cloutier finished a well-worked play from Brady Smith and Callum Croskery, putting the Greyhounds firmly in control heading into the third period.

The final frame saw North Bay push to get back into the game, but Soo netminder Carter George was flawless. Calm and confident in the crease, George turned aside every chance he faced, shutting the door on the Battalion attack. Travis Hayes sealed the win in the dying seconds, scoring an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:58 for his 10th of the season.

George stopped all 16 shots he faced, earning his second shutout of the season and his first in a Soo Greyhounds jersey. At the other end, Battalion goaltender Jack Lisson made 24 saves on 26 shots in the loss.

With the victory, the Greyhounds continued their strong home play and set the tone for the weekend series. The Soo will be back in action on Saturday, January 25th, hosting North Bay once again in an afternoon matinee, with puck drop scheduled for 2:07 p.m. at the Memorial Gardens.