courtesy Owen Sound Attack
The Owen Sound Attack didn’t get the result they were looking for in their first game of 2023.
Connor Lockhart scored a pair of goals as the Peterborough Petes extended their winning streak to seven-games with a 5-3 win over the Attack in Ontario Hockey League action at the Peterborough Memorial Centre Thursday night.
Tucker Robertson, Konnor Smith and Chase Stillman also tallied for the Petes (20-13-1-2)
Colby Barlow, James Petrovski and Gavin Bryant supplied the offence for Owen Sound.
The Attack (17-13-3-1) trailed 1-0 after the first period, despite controlling most of the play. It took Peterborough more than 12 minutes in the first to record their first shot of the game.
Lockhart opened the scoring with 37.1 seconds left to go in the period. J.R. Avon capitalized on a miscue between Sam Sedley and Nolan Seed as they tried to move to puck behind the Attack net. Avon swooped in and quickly passed it out front to Lockhart, who one-timed a low shot past Nick Chenard.
It’s been 10 straight games now that the Attack have conceded the first goal. Owen Sound hasn’t opened the scoring in a game since Dec. 1, when they skated to a 5-2 win in Barrie.
The second period started with two minutes of 4-on-4 play after offsetting roughing minors were called at the end of the first.
And the Attack took advantage of the extra space.
Barlow tied the game just 52 seconds into the second. Sedley found Barlow breaking down the left-wing with a well-placed saucer pass through the neutral zone – and the Attack captain sizzled a low shot past Liam Sztuska to make it 1-1.
Thirty-seconds later the Attack took the lead. Gavin Bryant tossed a backhand pass from the right-wing board to the front of the net and defenceman James Petrovski was streaking towards the crease and chipped the puck over Sztuska on the blocker side. 2-1 Owen Sound.
Petrovski’s goal was his first of the season – and first with the Attack since he joined the club in a trade with the Flint Firebirds earlier in the campaign.
It didn’t take long for Peterborough to tie the game. Just 35 seconds after Petrovski’s go-ahead goal, Smith found the net to make it a 2-2 game.
The Petes re-took the lead just over four minutes later on the power play. A Samuel Mayer point shot changed direction on its way towards the net and as Chenard slid towards his right, the puck bounced right to Lockhart near the left post and he backhanded into a near open net to make it 3-2.
Owen Sound had an opportunity to work on a brief 5-on-3 power play midway through the second period after Sahil Panwar and Smith took back-to-back puck-over-glass delay of game penalties.
The Attack couldn’t break through.
The Petes led 3-2 after two periods, and looked content to sit on their lead in the third icing the puck continuously and allowing the Attack to get several offensive zone starts.
It was Petes that found the first goal of the period though. Robertson broke into the offensive zone and toe-dragged the puck in the high slot to load up his shot and then released a perfectly placed wrister that beat Chenard high on the glove side. That put Peterborough ahead 4-2 with 3:35 to play.
The Attack pulled Chenard for an extra attack shortly after. And it paid off.
Bryant fired home his sixth of the season with 1:11 left in regulation to cut the Petes’ lead to 4-3.
But that was as close as Owen Sound would get. Stillman sealed the game with an empty-netter with 33 seconds left.
Sztuska made 37 saves in the win, while Chenard stopped 36 taking the loss. Shots finished 40-40. The Attack went 0 for 2 on the power play; Peterborough finished 1 for 3.
The Attack play their second of five straight road games on Friday night in Kingston. Game time is 7 p.m. Sunday, Owen Sound will finish this three-game eastern swing in Ottawa with a 2 p.m., matchup against the 67’s. Both games will be carried live on 560 CFOS.
BUMPS AND BRUISES
Attack forward Deni Goure missed his fifth straight game as he continues to recover from a facial injury after taking a stick in a game against the Soo Greyhounds in December. Goure is not expected to return this weekend in Kingston or Ottawa, but is apparently progressing well and could possibly be available next week when the Attack travel to Niagara and Erie.
SERVAC BACK
Servac Petrovsky made his return to the Attack lineup in Peterborough after missing the past four games while playing for his home country Slovakia at the World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax and Moncton. Petrovsky was skating on a line with Barlow and Bryant in his first game back.