Schenkel Solid In Loss/Evans Played Like Sophomore In Debut !
I missed the first 10 mins of the game last night but when I watched the rest of the game I saw nothing but hard competing Greyhounds. The Hounds were swarming all night, and that they must, as they are fighting for their lives to leapfrog over the Kitchener Rangers for the last playoff spot.
The Hounds did lose in extra time but for once, that valuable point was a blessing. The Hounds now sit only 3 points behind Kitchener.
Great games were had by none other than Charlie Schenkel who made some NHL style dynamite stops throughout the game. Of course Mark Duarte played strong as did Julian Fantino who brook out with three points, and man o man; what a goal to tie the game by Kalvyn Watson who deked the Spitfire defenseman turning his foes jersey inside out to beat the Windsor goalie.
I must point out that I was more than impressed with 16 year old SPENCER EVANS who was called up along with Tate Vader from the minors as the Hounds are riddled with injuries. I didn’t see Vader get much ice time but holy sh*t, Spencer played like a second year player making some really nice and poised defensive plays, dishing out the body, and even registering a shot on goal. If this is the way he always plays; this kid has a future. So far this year playing for the Smith Falls Bears; in 33 games this left defenseman has 8G, 25A for 33PTS.
The Hound eventually lose in overtime but a great strong game and a HUGE point for the Dogs.
BIG RANGERS NEWS/MIGHT NOT BE GOOD FOR THE HOUNDS
As of this morning; it was announced that the Kitchener Rangers have fired coach Chris Dennis with 21 games left to play in the season. In my opinion this is a good move on the part of Mike McKenzie the Rangers GM.
With Dennis only into his first season, there is not too much of a bond and it is strictly business. My hunch is that with Mike resuming coaching duties for the remainder of the season; he is banking on the fact that the kids will have a fresh start with him. There is always the intimidation factor of playing under a new coach and wanting be on his good side etc. My thoughts are you will see a hungrier and more competitive team from here on in, as well as some changes to their systems.
In 2019-2020, McKenzie coached the Rangers to a 33-9 record and last year coached the kids to the semi finals losing to Windsor after beating the London Knight’s in the previous round.
This Is potentially bad news for the Hounds but …..BUT……if the Greyhounds play like they did last night, they still may have a chance.
Feel free to give your thoughts below.
**Tonight the Dogs are in Saginaw…………..Go Hounds GO !!**