Trenten Bennett of the Owen Sound Attack. Photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images
They pushed them and had a third period lead, but the result was the same it’s been for the Attack throughout February – another loss.
Cole Beaudoin and Emil Hemming scored in the shootout to lift the Barrie Colts to a 4-3 comeback win over the Owen Sound Attack in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday evening at Sadlon Arena.
Trenten Bennett turned in a stellar effort for the Attack (20-29-2-5), turning aside 57 shots to earn the nod as the game’s first star.
Nicholas Desiderio, Jaiden Newton and Joe Salandra scored for Barrie (38-11-2-4), which won their eighth straight game and earned a split in the six-game season series with the Attack.
Easton Mikus, Jared Langdon and Tristan Delisle had the goals for Owen Sound, which had its losing streak hit a season-long of eight games. The Attack have yet to win a game in February. Their last victory came back on Jan. 31 over Guelph Storm.
The Attack had a 3-2 lead heading into the third period – but took their second loss in the past three games when holding a lead after 40 minutes. Owen Sound is now 15-1-0-2 this season when leading after two.
Desiderio tied the game 3-3 at 10:33 of the third. Kashawn Aitcheson sent a long stretch pass into the neutral zone, and then Newton got the puck to Desiderio on the left-wing. He streaked in off the rush and fired a wrist shot near the faceoff dot that beat Bennett glove side.
The Colts were all over the Attack in the third, outshooting them 28-4.
“I think the story of the game is learning how to win,” says Attack assistant coach Brandon Shaw. “We were playing in the third there not to lose. And when you play not to lose, the other team can get a lot of momentum. They create a lot.”
“But focusing on the positive there was a lot of good. A lot of good tracks, a lot of good defensive zone clips,” Shaw continues. “We’ll show the guys and moving forward it’s going to help our group.”
Both teams had chances to win it in overtime. Salandra had a clean 1-on-1 with Bennett and tried to deke the Attack goaltender, who kicked away the puck with his pad.
And then Harry Nansi pounced on a turnover in the Barrie zone and got away a good wrist shot from the slot. He beat Ben Hrebik, but the puck rang off the post and stayed out.
Hrebik stopped both Mikus and Cole Zurawski in the shootout.
The Attack led 2-1 after the first period. Salandra opened the scoring for Barrie at 14:40, converting a breakaway with a shot past the glove of Bennett to make it 1-0.
Owen Sound tied the game just 17 seconds later. Langdon retrieved a puck on the forecheck and got a pass to Mikus, who put a wrist shot low past Hrebik to make it 1-1.
Just over a minute-and-a-half later it was Langdon at work again. This time he tried to get a pass to Nansi in the slot, and the puck bounced back to No. 26 who fired home his fourth goal since joining the Attack near the end of January.
Owen Sound scored its third unanswered goal just over seven minutes into the second period. This one came on the power play. Nansi took a pass down low and chipped the puck towards the front, but fanned a bit. Delisle swooped in, grabbed it and flicked a shot high from in tight over the glove of Hrebik to put the Attack up 3-1.
Newton scored with 4:53 to go in the second period to bring the Colts back within one.
Hrebik made 28 saves in the win, while Bennett stopped 57 taking the loss. The Colts outshot the Attack 60-31 while going 0 for 2 on the power play; Owen Sound finished 1 for 3.
NO BROWN, NELSON
The Attack were without defenceman Julian Brown and forward Noah Nelson Thursday in Barrie. Owen Sound’s Head Coach Scott Wray says Brown suffered an upper-body injury in London Monday, and is considered week-to-week.
Nelson was dealing with some soreness. He returned to the Attack lineup last week against Niagara IceDogs, and suited up in three games after missing nearly two months with a groin injury. Wray says Thursday’s absence was a maintenance day for Nelson, and he is expected to be available to play Saturday when the Attack host Brampton Steelheads at the Bayshore.
BIG POINT
They didn’t get the win but it was an important point for the Attack, who are trying to fend off the Sarnia Sting and Erie Otters to lock down a playoff position in the Western Conference.
Owen Sound moved six points ahead of Sarnia…while Erie lingers nine points behind with a game in hand. It’s still a fairly solid cushion for Owen Sound. But they have two big games remaining against Erie on Feb. 28 and March 1, both on the road. And they’ll play their final game against Sarnia on March 7 at the Bayshore. Those three games will be critical.
Their part of a seven-game stretch for the Attack beginning Saturday against Brampton that could determine their playoff fate. Owen Sound will play six of its next seven games against non-playoff opponents. It’s home games Saturday and next Wednesday against Brampton and the Oshawa Generals, who sit ninth and 10th in the Eastern Conference. Then the Attack have their back-to-back in Erie to end the month and flip the calendar to March. They’ll also have games March 7 against Sarnia and March 10 against Brampton, after a trip to Guelph to face the sixth-place Storm.