The Attack rallied but fell short.
Ethan Kindree and Pierce Mbuyi scored goals 54 seconds apart midway through the second period to bring the Attack within one, but the Guelph Storm held on to beat Owen Sound 3-2 in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at Sleeman Centre.
Illia Shybinskyi, Carter Kucher and Owen Griffin had the goals for Guelph (5-2), which won its fifth straight game.
It was an entertaining hockey game where the Attack (2-5) fell behind 3-0 and battled back in the second to get within one. There were a pair of fights. Wesley Royston and Grant Spada dropped the gloves in the first. Lucas Prud’homme and Braeden Van Gelder went in the third. It should make for an interesting Saturday night at the Bayshore.
“Played the right way. One shot away. I think that was a really good road effort. And now we get a chance to even the home and home tomorrow in front of our fans,” Attack Head Coach Keenan Reynolds says. “They’re following us back. There’s no excuses. If we play that way for a full 60 minutes, we’ll be rewarded with a chance to win.”
The Storm led 1-0 after one and made it a 3-0 game just under seven minutes into the second period. Kucher put a point shot past a screened Ryerson Leenders at 4:46 to make it 2-0 Guelph. Then two minutes later it was Griffin, who got lost in coverage as he snuck off the bench and found himself wide open in front of the Attack net, taking a pass from Noah Jenken and then putting a shot high-glove by Leenders.
Kindree got the Attack on the board just past the midway mark of the second. He was knocked down inside the blue line, and got back on his skates in time to keep the puck into the offensive zone. Then Kindree got a pass to Mbuyi, who had a shot stopped by Zach Jovanovski. The rebound kicked right to No. 9 on the Attack, and he hit the net.
The goal by Kindree was the first one allowed this season by Jovanovski, who had a pair of shutouts in his previous two starts.
Mbuyi scored 54 seconds after Kindree on a high wrist shot from the high slot that got over the glove of Jovanovski.
The Storm netminder made some big saves in the third period. Most memorable he was able to get his left shoulder to a quick snap by Jace Voortman off the rush, denying a chance that looked destined for the top half of the Guelph net.
Jovanovski made 31 saves in the win, while Leenders stopped 27 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Storm 33-30 while going 0 for 4 on the power play; Guelph finished 1 for 4.
The Attack and Storm will go at it again Saturday night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.