As we’ve been told multiple times, the many accomplishments of the Soo Greyhounds apparently mean nothing come play-off time. Nevertheless, I am confident everything the team has done this year will serve as the base upon which a long play-off run is going to be built.
The Greyhounds will not meet the same fate as the 2014-15 edition of the team. Why? Well, as great as we thought that team was – it amassed 110 points after all - the competition that year clearly was also very good. Oshawa finished with 108 points while Erie wound up with 104 points. Erie of course had Connor McDavid and he made a difference in our early play-off exit.
This time around, the Hounds earned a franchise record 116 points. And the comforting thing about that stat is that there is nobody close to us. Sarnia finished a whopping 19 points behind. Hamilton – the best team in the Eastern Conference – finished 23 points behind. I stand to be corrected, but one has to go all the way back to the 2004-5 edition of the London Knights to find a team that finished so far in front (they ended up with an amazing 30 more points than the second place finisher that year). To be sure, London lost a pair of games that play-off season and I expect the Hounds to lose a few more than that, but success should be ours.
I have liked the quotes I have read from a number of Hounds’ players in the local media – they “get it” that a whole new compete level is now required. And keep in mind success has not always come easy for the team – they know more than a little bit about overcoming adversity. When all is said and done, however, I believe our superior offensive and defensive abilities and our astonishing record at home will help pave the road to Regina.
