Photo Credit Freeze Frame Photos
The Soo U18 Greyhounds closed out the month of October in impressive fashion, putting together a dominant three-game weekend sweep against the New Liskeard Cubs in GNU18HHL action at the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Hosting the Cubs for three home games over October 30 and 31, the Greyhounds showcased their offensive depth, special teams and scoring ability, outscoring New Liskeard by a combined 25-3 while recording victories of 7-2, 8-1 and 10-0.
Game One – Saturday Afternoon
The Greyhounds opened the weekend at noon on Saturday, October 31, and wasted little time getting their offence going.
Just 30 seconds into the opening period, Jacob Vincent scored his 13th goal of the season, with Nico Bossio and Myka Venneri collecting the assists to give Soo an early 1-0 advantage.
Bossio extended the lead to 2-0 at the 9:09 mark, scoring his 18th of the season off assists from Finlay Escasa and Bryson Palahnuk.
The Greyhounds continued to apply pressure, and Finlay Carlson added another at 15:20, scoring his third of the campaign with Escasa and Kyle Crack picking up the assists.
Soo carried a 3-0 lead into the second period before New Liskeard got on the scoreboard at 13:10. Robert Burnett scored his first goal of the season, with Brady Krieger and Lukas Daviau assisting to make it 3-1.
However, the Greyhounds responded late in the period when Palahnuk scored a power-play goal with just one second remaining on the clock. Liam Clark and Vincent assisted on the goal, sending Soo into the third period with a 4-1 advantage.
The Cubs opened the third period with a power-play goal of their own at 4:16, as Ryan Larocque cut the deficit to 4-2.
From there, the Greyhounds took control once again.
Crack scored at 11:40, followed by Rocco Dos Reis finding the back of the net at 12:55. Dos Reis then capped off the scoring at 19:10 with his second goal of the afternoon, giving him 14 goals on the season and securing a 7-2 Soo victory.
Dos Reis finished with two goals, while Bossio and Vincent each recorded a goal and an assist.
Tanner Carriere got the start between the pipes for Soo, while Antoine Ethier started for New Liskeard.
Game Two – Saturday Night
The Greyhounds returned to the ice Saturday evening for an 8:00 p.m. puck drop, looking to build on their afternoon performance.
Soo once again established control early, opening the scoring at 1:57 when Brett Archambault scored his ninth goal of the season. David Francella picked up the assist on a shorthanded marker.
Dos Reis followed at 8:18, scoring his 14th of the season with assists from Reegan Dezordo and Escasa.
Crack added another at 13:56, with Venneri and Bossio collecting the assists, before Logan Nakani made it 4-0 at 15:44. Palahnuk and Carlson assisted on the goal.
New Liskeard managed to get one back in the second period when Kyle Cloutier scored at 7:18, but the Greyhounds maintained a commanding 4-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Soo exploded offensively in the third period, beginning with Carlson scoring at 1:17 off assists from Nakani and Gavin Greenwood.
Carlson struck again at 9:52 with an unassisted goal, completing his two-goal performance.
Gage Guzzo then took over, scoring at 11:06 with assists from Palahnuk and Venneri before adding his second of the game at 15:51 on the power play. Dezordo and Dos Reis assisted on the marker.
The four-goal third period helped the Greyhounds secure an impressive 8-1 victory.
Carlson and Guzzo each finished with two goals, while Dos Reis, Archambault, Crack and Nakani also found the back of the net.
Ethan Brewer, an affiliate goaltender, got the start for Soo, while Nicolas Gagnon was between the pipes for New Liskeard.
Game Three – Sunday Morning Shutout
The Greyhounds wrapped up their three-game weekend series Sunday morning with a 10:00 a.m. matchup against the Cubs.
Looking to complete the sweep, Soo delivered its most dominant performance of the weekend, shutting out New Liskeard 10-0.
Jayden Cranston opened the scoring at 7:36 of the first period, with Francella and Archambault assisting.
Clark doubled the advantage at 10:01, scoring his 11th of the season off a pass from Bossio.
Just over a minute later, Bossio added his 19th goal of the campaign on the power play, with Palahnuk and Escasa picking up the assists.
Clark struck again at 12:57, scoring his second of the period and 12th of the season on another Soo power play. Escasa and Vincent assisted.
Before the opening period came to a close, Dos Reis made it 5-0 at 19:45, with Palahnuk and Preston Gioia collecting the assists.
The Greyhounds continued their offensive pressure in the second period, with Guzzo scoring at 18:05 on the power play. Dos Reis and Venneri assisted on the goal, giving Soo a 6-0 advantage heading into the final period.
The third period saw the Greyhounds add four more goals.
Dezordo opened the scoring at 3:25 on the power play, with Dos Reis recording the assist.
Escasa made it 8-0 at 10:03, with Clark and Vincent assisting.
Just 40 seconds later, Francella found the back of the net at 10:43, with Venneri and Gioia picking up the assists.
Dezordo rounded out the scoring at 19:35, adding his second goal of the game with Dos Reis and Guzzo collecting the assists.
The final buzzer sounded with the Greyhounds completing a convincing 10-0 shutout victory and a perfect three-game weekend against the Cubs.
Dos Reis finished with a goal and three assists, while Dezordo scored twice. Clark also recorded two goals, and Bossio, Escasa, Francella and Guzzo each contributed to the offensive attack.
Looking Ahead – Big Nickel Tournament
With three consecutive victories against New Liskeard, the Soo U18 Greyhounds will now turn their attention to tournament action.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to travel to Sudbury to compete in the Big Nickel Tournament from November 5 to 8.
After an impressive weekend at home, Soo will look to carry its offensive momentum and strong team play into the tournament as the calendar turns to November.
