Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
The Ontario Hockey League Christmas Break is underway. Play resumes Monday and the Owen Sound Attack will return to the ice on Tuesday when they host the North Bay Battalion.
Fittingly, the Attack are at the midway point of the hockey season sitting with a record of 15 wins, 13 losses and 6 overtime or shootout defeats after 34 games which is good for 36 points.
Those 36 points puts Owen Sound 6th in the Western Conference, 3 points back of Sarnia for 5th, albeit, the Sting have played 2 less games than the Attack.
The Attack also have a 5 point bulge on Flint and Saginaw who are tied for the final playoff spot going to the 2nd half.
The points and position in the standings for the Attack is a touch better than I expected coming into the season.
What hasn’t been unexpected though, is the lack of scoring punch.
Defenceman Santino Centorame and overage Josh Sterk share the team lead in scoring with………………24 points.
Jaden Lindo leads the team in goals with 10 and the possibility exists that for the first time in a decade and a half Owen Sound may not have a 20 goal scorer.
Furthermore, the Attack have scored 89 times in the first half. At that pace they’re poised to smash the franchise mark for least goals in a season, which is 200.
So, the Owen Sound Attack hit the Christmas Break with some upsetting defeats and some significant victories.
But without a second half upgrade in scoring punch, winning will certainly be a challenge.
I’m Fred Wallace