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The Soo U18 Greyhounds returned to the ice on Friday, March 14th, to face off against the Sudbury U18 Wolves in the GNU18HL Playoff Tournament. Both teams were looking to bounce back after losses the previous day, with the Greyhounds coming off a narrow 4-3 defeat to the Timmins Majors, while the Wolves fell 4-2 to the Soo U16 Greyhounds.
The game started with a tight defensive battle, but with just three minutes remaining in the first period, Sudbury struck first. From the left of Soo netminder Sebastien Brassard’s crease, Drake Taylor fired a wrist shot over Brassard’s left shoulder to put the Wolves ahead 1-0. Cameron Vekhala and Grady Jalbert picked up the assists on Taylor’s second goal of the tournament.
The Wolves extended their lead in the final moments of the second period. With less than two seconds left before intermission, Vekhala capitalized on a wraparound play, tucking the puck around Brassard’s right post to send Sudbury into the third period up 2-0. Denver Mulligan and Rowan Smith assisted on Vekhala’s third goal of the playoffs.
The Greyhounds found life in the third period while on the power play. At the 10:02 mark, Jevon Johnson fired a snapshot from the top of the right faceoff circle, creating a rebound opportunity for Nathan Dupuis, who buried it past the Wolves’ goaltender to bring the Soo within one. Gavin Killoran added an assist on Dupuis’ second goal of the tournament.
With time winding down and Brassard pulled for an extra attacker, the Greyhounds scrambled for the tying goal. However, in a race for the puck, Jevon Johnson unintentionally tripped Jameson Fabbro into the boards, resulting in a tripping major. By rule, Fabbro was awarded an automatic goal, sealing a 3-1 victory for the Wolves. Vekhala and Taylor were credited with assists on Fabbro’s first goal of the playoffs at 18:43.
With the loss, the Soo U18 Greyhounds dropped to a (1-2) record and will now shift their focus to their next matchup against the Soo U16 Greyhounds on Friday, March 14th, with puck drop set for 8:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the (1-1-1) Wolves will take on the (2-1) North Bay Trappers at 5:30 p.m. in Timmins as playoff action continues.
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