Everything is clicking right now for the Owen Sound Attack.
Deni Goure and Matthew Papais each had three points as the Attack cruised past the Erie Otters 5-1 in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at the Erie Insurance Arena, extending their winning streak to four games.
Goure finished with a pair of goals, and Papais had one. Cedrick Guindon and Gavin Bryant also scored for Owen Sound (6-3-0-0), which never trailed in the hockey game.
Taeo Artichuk had the lone goal for Erie (3-4-0-2).
The Attack were on their heels for much of the first period, but still managed to open the scoring at 11:57 as Goure beat Otters netminder Kyle Downey.
Artichuk tied it five minutes later, pouncing on a failed clearing attempt by Owen Sound and cutting off the right-board quickly toward the slot and beating Nick Chenard with a perfectly place shot over the glove and just under the crossbar.
Chenard was stellar for the Attack throughout the game, but especially sturdy in the first as the Otters outshot Owen Sound 16-5 in the period.
The Attack pulled away in the second period with two goals. Guindon deflected a shot from Servac Petrovsky that just trickled through Downey and over the goal line to make it a 2-1 game at 4:04 of the middle frame.
Then it was Papais on the power play at 8:11 to put the Attack in front 3-1.
Owen Sound kept coming in the third. Goure scored his second of the night at 7:28 on a beautiful 2-on-1 conversion. Papais skated down the left wing and placed a perfect saucer pass to Goure on the right side, and he quickly fired a shot past Downey on the glove-hand side to make it 4-1.
That wasn’t the nicest goal of the night though. Bryant took that honour with the team’s fifth goal. He took a pass from Colby Barlow in the neutral zone and then sped forward, chipping the puck between two Otters defenders to split them, and then coming out on the other side to stickhandle to his forehand and fire a shot past Downey.
Chenard made 34 saves in the win, while Downey stopped 22 taking the loss. Erie outshot Owen Sound 34-27 while going 0 for 4 on the power play; the Attack finished 1 for 6.
The Attack and Otters hit the reset button for the latter half of the back-to-back at the Erie Insurance Arena Saturday night.
Game time is 7 p.m.
You can hear the game live on 560 CFOS Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service Bearadio, beginning with the Metal Edge Pipeworks pre-game show at 6:30 p.m.
BUMPS AND BRUISES
Attack head coach Greg Walters provided a brief update to the status of injured forward Kaleb Lawrence prior to Friday’s game.
Lawrence has been out with an upper body injury, but took part in pre-game warmups in Erie Friday.
Walters says the team is being cautious with Lawrence, but the big forward could make his return to the lineup as early as next Thursday, when the Attack play on the road at Barrie.