A big win for the Owen Sound Attack in their hunt for a playoff position.
Declan Waddick scored his first Ontario Hockey League hat trick to pace the Attack to a 6-3 win over the Flint Firebirds at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre Wednesday evening.
Michael Dec, Pierce Mbuyi and Landen Hookey also scored for the Attack (23-33-4-3), which moved one point past the idle Soo Greyhounds (24-34-2-2) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference. Soo now has a game in hand, which it will play tonight against the Windsor Spitfires.
Owen Sound is also within one point of seventh-place Sarnia Sting (21-30-5-7), which lost to the Erie Otters Wednesday night.
Christopher Thibodeau, Jeremy Martin and Sam McCue scored the goals for Flint (28-30-2-3), which missed out on a season series sweep over the Attack with the loss.
The Attack jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Flint in the first period, before the Firebirds rallied in the second with three unanswered to take a 3-2 lead. Things looked grim past the midway mark of the second for Owen Sound. Just after it fell behind in the game defenceman Gabe Smith was given a double-minor for high-sticking, sending Flint to a four-minute power play.
But Waddick would score a shorthanded goal at 15:31 of the second, breaking up the right wing before cutting into the middle and using a defenceman as a screen to beat Nathan Day with a high shot. That tied the game 3-3 and rekindled the life in the near sellout crowd at the Bayshore. Announced attendance was 3,037.
Waddick completed his hat trick 7:28 into the third to give the Attack a 4-3 lead. Then Mbuyi and Hookey would add goals.
Carter George made 23 saves in the win, while Day stopped 31 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Firebirds 37-26 while going 0 for 1 on the power play; Flint finished 0 for 5.
Next up for the Attack is a trip to Guelph on Friday to face the Storm (18-35-5-4). Guelph has lost eight in a row to dash its playoff hopes. You can hear the Attack take on the Storm live from the Sleeman Centre Friday on Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service Bear Radio on 560 CFOS. Game time is 7:07 p.m.
