It’s a happy new year for the Owen Sound Attack.
Pierce Mbuyi scored a pair of goals and Matthew Koprowski turned in a 43-save effort, as the Attack held off a third period comeback attempt by the Sarnia Sting and held on to win 5-3 Friday night at Progressive Auto Sales Arena, ending a seven-game slide in their first outing of 2026.
“We were opportunistic on our goals for sure,” says Attack Head Coach Scott Wray. “And hats off to (Matthew) Koprowski. He was outstanding.”
“We looked like a fragile bunch in the third. It was sort of reminiscent of (the loss) in Sudbury creeping in, to a group that’s look for confidence right now,” Wray continues. “Good for them though to finish it off, and get it done. I think that was the slowest period of my life.”
Tristan Delisle, Caden Taylor and Jake Crawford also scored for the Attack (18-16-1-3), which never trialed in the game.
Easton Walos, Liam Beamish and Jacob Reese had the goals for Sarnia (11-21-4-1).
The Attack led 5-1 heading into the third period, before Sarnia put a big push on and managed to find a pair of goals.
Beamish brought the Sting within three, scoring 3:28 into the third. And then it was Reese with 6:30 remaining, get a shot from the top of the circle through traffic and past Koprowski to cut Owen Sound’s lead to 5-3.
Sarnia outshot Owen Sound 20-2 in the third period.
But the Attack survived. And left Sarnia with a much-needed win. It was Owen Sound’s first victory in nearly a month, with their last coming over the Erie Otters back on Dec. 5.
Owen Sound led 2-1 after the first period on goals from Mbuyi and Crawford.
Mbuyi opened the scoring at 9:25, taking a pass in the slot from Elliot Arnett and then firing a wrist shot past Patrick Quinlan to make it 1-0.
Walos tied the game just over a minute later.
The Attack retook the lead at 12:10, as Crawford broke up the right wing and then cut towards the front – before putting a shot past Quinlan to make it 2-1.
Then Owen Sound took control of the game in the second with three goals.
Delisle made it 3-1 just over five minutes into the second, breaking up ice shorthanded on a 2-on-1 and electing to shoot, getting it past Quinlan glove side.
Past the midway mark of the second, the Attack made it 4-1. Nick Sykora had the puck on the left board and fired a quick cross-ice pass to a wide open Taylor. He quickly whipped a shot past a sliding Quinlan.
And then with just over two minutes remaining in the second, Mbuyi capped the period for the Attack with his second of the game – hitting an open net after a pretty play by Cole Zurawski.
Zurawski took the puck into the offensive zone and toe-dragged, drawing a defender in before tucking a pass out front to Mbuyi, who just had to tap it in to the empty net. 5-1 Attack.
Koprowski made 43 saves in the win, while Quinlan stopped 15 taking the loss. The Sting outshot the Attack 46-20 while going 0 for 6 on the power play; the Attack finished 0 for 4.
Next up for Owen Sound is a home game against the Peterborough Petes Saturday night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. It’s the start of a five-game homestand for the Attack.
MORE INJURIES HIT THE BEARS
Owen Sound lost a pair of forwards to injuries in the game. Landon Jackman left the game after a collision inside Sarnia’s blue line in the first period. And Sykora took a hit to the head from Jordan Bax in the third. He needed help off the ice and did not return.
Following the game, Attack Head Coach Scott Wray didn’t have any sense yet of how long both forwards could be out.
“We’ll see what happens when we get back,” Wray says.
Sykora and Jackman join a crowded infirmary for the Bears. Jacob Therrien (upper-body), Masen Wray (wrist), Noah Nelson (lower-body) and Max Delisle (shoulder) are all sidelined with injuries.