Hounds Lose Another Heartbreaker 4-2
After playing a really solid all around game the Hounds blew it (Jerry, You really blew it !!). Riding some great goaltending and a 2-1 lead with only minutes left in the game, I thought that the drought was over but as I am quite often; once again I was wrong and the streak continued. The Greyhounds have won only 2 games in their last 10, 5 on the season, and are currently riding a 7 game losing skid which will be hard to dig out of tonight as they battle the Mississauga Steelheads.
There is not much to say about the game last night other than the fact that Mark Duarte scored two more goals, Justin Cloutier assisted on both, Sammy Ivanov came up big when required to do so, and scoring remains the main problem…..or lack of scoring I should say.
The stats are clear; of the 22 games the Dogs have played this year, they sit dead last in offensive capabilities as they are only scoring an average of 2.63 goals per game.
We all know that one must hover above 3 goals in that category to win games and the Hounds don’t have the answer as of yet and are going to face some reality soon if the problem is not corrected. The Hounds sit in the 8th and final playoff spot but have played more games than Kitchener and Guelph who are nipping at their heels.
Kyle Raftis obviously knows this area is needing a fix of some sort and thus Ethan Montroy was called up from the minors for the road trip and saw his first action of the season last night. Is it possible that Raftis is going to refrain from any move (trade/acquisition) as long as the Hounds are hovering near that final playoff spot?
That very well could be the case but is it a gamble worth taking, considering their intentions to make a bid for the Memorial Cup 2024 hosting rights?
On Nov 19 I wrote that the Hounds had dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s regarding their intentions on presenting a bid to host the 2024 Memorial Cup. There are many reasons why the Hounds are a long shot to obtain this tournament and/but, if they don’t make the playoffs this year to give the kids some experience, it is almost next to impossible to assemble a Mem Cup team talent wise to be considered to host it during only one season of prep time. When teams put their cards on the table to host this gold standard tournament, they usually have a solid core two years out….and this is not the case at this time.
I will write a full article very soon on the Hounds Memorial Cup bid as it will be pretty lengthy; the bottom line is that with Wayne Gretzky becoming a part owner…minority owner etc with the Niagara Ice Dogs, the chances are slim to none that the Ice Dogs would be turned down to host the cup. When you think of hockey anywhere in the world, you think of #99. Gretzky has more power and influence in what he says than anyone in the hockey world today. When the Great One speaks….everybody listens.
** Samuel Ivanov needs to be leashed to his crease as once again last night he came really close to coffing up the puck and surrendering a goal when he was behind the pipes. Sammy you are a great goalie but your place is in the net…..not behind it.**