CREDIT: KENNETH ARMSTRONG
Londoner Matt Fuller of the Sault Ste. Greyhounds.

How would you feel travelling 10 hours by bus to play a 60-minute hockey game?

Playing in the Ontario Hockey League has its glamorous moments; playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on the road is not one of them.

The closest rink to the Greyhounds in the OHL is in Saginaw, a four-hour trip. The furthest is to play the Kingston Frontenacs, which is 11 hours away from the Soo.

Matt Fuller is in his second season with the Greyhounds, and he had a different idea of what his first road trip would be like. "I didn't realize how long these road trips were actually going to be," though he added that it's not as bad as it sounds. "Yes, a 10-hour drive is a long drive, but when you've got all of your teammates here, time flies."

Losing is bad. Winning is good. Stick 20 people on a bus for over eight hours after they lose and Fuller says it's definitely one of the worst atmospheres. "There is no movie, no TV, not much talking; all you can really do is listen to your music and go to sleep." Winning a game yields the complete opposite. "It's like having a party; everyone is happy, everyone is talking — you can hardly hear the TV on the bus."

On road trips, Greyhounds have to check into their motels, get into their rooms before curfew - oh, and they also have a roommate. Fuller refused to name names, but word gets around: some roommates aren't quiet sleepers. "There are a couple of guys who are bad snorers, a few guys talk in their sleep and I know there is one guy who sleeps with the TV on full volume." Fuller said he hasn't heard any negative feedback from his roommates; "So far I haven't been told anything, hopefully I can keep that going."

Fuller grew up watching the London Knights, he graduated from Clarke Road Secondary School and he has lived in London for most of his life, but he has never stepped on the ice at Budweiser Gardens — for that, he must wait until November 11. "Ever since I was a little kid, it has been a dream of mine — and still is a dream because I haven't played there yet ... Stepping on that ice, I can't even imagine how it's going to feel."

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds didn't see any playoff action in 2011/12. This year, the Greyhounds are showing more promise, on top of the West Division and leading the Western Conference in goals.