That was quite the final minute.
Chase Gaughan had a pair of goals, including an empty-netter that stood as the game-winner, as the Sarnia Sting held off the Owen Sound Attack 5-4 in Ontario Hockey League action Wednesday evening at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
There were three goals in the final minute of the third. Max Delisle scored with 52 seconds left to bring Owen Sound within one, 4-3. Then it was the Gaughan empty-netter. And then with 17.5 seconds to go, Lucian Bernat skated in and put a wrist shot past Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko to bring Owen Sound back within one again.
The Sting hung on.
“It’s frustrating. I felt as though we deserved a better fate tonight,” Attack Head Coach Keenan Reynolds says. “We specifically pre-scouted that their power play loves attacking the back door. We kept two defencemen anchored at the net for that reason. And they found a way to fit a puck through.”
“Frustrating, but just have to get back to the drawing board,” Reynolds continues. “This league is unrelenting. We have Guelph on Friday and Kitchener on Saturday at home, and still lots of time to salvage the week.”
That power play goal the head coach is referring to came near the midway mark of the third period. Easton Walos whipped a slap-pass to the back post and found Jack Van Volsen, who put the puck in to make it 4-2 Sarnia.
Alessandro Di Iorio and Carter Chadwick also scored for the Sting (7-10-1), which ended a four-game losing streak.
Pierce Mbuyi scored twice for the Attack (6-10-1).
Chadwick broke a 2-2 tie early in the third, deflecting a point shot past Ryerson Leenders to put the Sting ahead 3-2.
Sarnia led 2-0 after the first on goals from Gaughan and Di Iorio.
Mbuyi’s goals came in the second. First, a one-timer on a power play with just under five minutes to go in the period to cut Sarnia’s lead to 2-1. Then he cleaned up a loose puck in front of the Sting goal to tie the game 2-2. That was the score heading into the third.
Tkach-Tkachenko made 28 saves in the win, while Leenders stopped 21 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Sting 32-26 while going 1 for 6 on the power play; Sarnia finished 2 for 3.
Next up for the Attack is a trip to the Sleeman Centre Friday to face Guelph Storm.