The Soo Greyhounds couldn’t have asked for a better start to their season opener. Three first-period goals had GFL Memorial Gardens roaring to life.

But hockey doesn’t let you coast on impressions.

By the final buzzer Friday night, the scoreboard told a different story — five unanswered goals by the Saginaw Spirit, a 5-3 Greyhounds loss , and a blunt reminder that this is still a young team with plenty to learn.

While he didn’t expect another three-goal collapse reminiscent of Sunday’s pre-season loss , head coach John Dean expected a sloppy game.

“That’s par for the course for game one,” he said. “Defending was a major issue for us — a lot of stick checking, unable to identify who our guy is, not a lot of communication in our own end.”

But in fact, the game’s defining mistake cam

See Full Page