Six Ontario Hockey League games ago, we noted the Owen Sound Attack were about to enter ” Death Valley “, ” Murder’s Row ” & the ” Dudgeon of Doom “.
The matchups would see the Attack host Plymouth, go home & home with London, visit Kitchener and then host Guelph & finally Ottawa.
Six games, 5 against teams rated in the CHL Top 10….very daunting challenge.
Six games later, the bottom line is that the Attack accumulated just 3 of a possible 12 points in that stretch.
Interestingly, Owen Sound got 2/3rds of the points they would garner in the first game against Plymouth, who for my money are the deepest team in the OHL and if I had to wager on a league champion right now, my choice would be the Whalers.
But after the win at home against Plymouth, 5 straight losses followed, sometimes in curious fashion.
They were blanked at London
The following night they should have held 4-2 & 5-4 leads but couldn’t, and the Knights, aided by a play that should have been icing, came back to win in a shootout.
At Kitchener, a penalty free second half was halted with just over a minute to go, handing the Rangers a power play opportunity as they beat Owen Sound in the last minute.
The next night, no question, a sub par performance losing at home to Guelph
And then Sunday, a massively shorthanded Attack team due to suspension and injury, hung on for 55 minutes before losing on a breakaway goal to Ottawa.
There are factors here, and I understand them fully, but the Attack will tell you factors equal excuses, and excuses are for losers, a term the Owen Sound squad is looking to shed this weekend when Windsor and Belleville come to town.
I’m Fred Wallace