The Owen Sound Attack let a third period lead slip in a shootout loss to the Guelph Storm.
Max Namestnikov scored the lone goal of the shootout and Brayden Gillespie stymied the Attack shooters, as the Guelph Storm managed a 4-3 shootout win over Owen Sound in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at the Sleeman Centre.
The Attack (14-7-0-1) held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period, but Guelph (7-12-2-1) found the game-tying goal at 13:05 as Cooper Walker let a shot-go from the top of the circle that changed direction on its way past Owen Sound netminder Nick Chenard.
Owen Sound had to kill off a 4-on-3 power play in overtime. With 2:13 to go in the extra frame, Nolan Seed was called for holding as Matthew Poitras gained a step on him and cut from the left side towards the crease and went down in front of Chenard.
Chenard made a stellar pad save on Poitras during the ensuing power play, stretching out his right leg to hold the goal line as the puck sat loose in the crease area and was banged towards the net.
The Storm took the lead in the first period on a Valentin Zhugin power play goal at 9:52.
Kaleb Lawrence tied it just over two minutes later. Cedrick Guindon earned a clean face-off win in the offensive zone and Ethan Burroughs immediately shot towards the net, and the puck deflected off Lawrence’s body and past Gillespie to make it 1-1.
Namestnikov scored at 15:25 to restore Guelph’s lead, picking up a loose puck near the inside hash marks and backhanding a shot over Chenard’s glove on the short side to make it 2-1.
The Attack flipped the game in the second. Barlow scored his 16th of the season at 10:27 to tie the game. And then six minutes later on the power play, Deni Goure walked off the left board on the power play and flung a shot past Gillespie to give Owen Sound its first lead, 3-2.
Owen Sound ran into some penalty trouble throughout the game. The Storm finished 1 for 7 on the power play, while the Attack went 1 for 3.
Guelph outshot Owen Sound 27-24. Gillespie made 21 saves in the win. Chenard stopped 24 taking the loss.
The Attack and Storm will play the tail-end of the home-and-home matchup Saturday night at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
Game time is 7:30 p.m.