No quit, but two losses in northern swing
For the second time in as many games, the Hamilton Bulldogs mounted a comeback.
And, for the second time in as many games, they came up short.
Matt Strome and Mackenzie Entwistle both scored with under six minutes left on the clock, but it was too little, too late against the Sault Ste.
Marie Greyhounds on Saturday.
The result was a 4-3 loss.
The visit to The Soo capped off a three game road trip for the Bulldogs, who were also dropped 7-5 by the Sudbury Wolves on Friday and beat the Owen Sound Attack 7-6 in a shootout on Wednesday — their first win at Harry Lumley arena since 2012, when they were still the Belleville Bulls.
Despite the outcome, coach Dave Matsos was happy with his players’ effort. “We’re not down on them,” he said by phone during the long bus ride back to Hamilton. “I’d be down on them if the work ethic and the commitment and the care wasn’t there, but for two nights in a row, and even in Owen Sound, these guys didn’t give up.
“We’ll fine tune it, it just takes time,” he added.
After taking advantage of a botched play by goalie Matt Villalta to open the scoring a little under five minutes in, the Bulldogs struggled to generate offence against the Greyhounds until midway through the third period. In the opening two frames, they were outshot 28-13.
What happened?
Well, they missed the net a lot and spent a lot of time shorthanded. But the biggest thing was probably their inability to execute.