Attack Drop 3-2 Decision to Rangers
The Owen Sound Attack fought hard against the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday night but fell just short, 3-2 in the final. Bruce McDonald buried his eighth goal of the season while Michael Dec potted his fourth goal in eight OHL games. Adrian Misaljevic, Cameron Arquette and Luke Ellinas all put goals on the board for the Rangers.
The first period started off with both teams coming out of the gates flying, staying locked in on both ends of the ice. The Rangers offence put pressure on the Attack’s defence early but thankfully, the Attack came prepared for anything not allowing many scoring chances for the Rangers throughout the frame. Rangers broke the deadlock eight minutes into the game due to a strongly executed Rangers breakout. Tanner Lam received a pass from his d-man while breaking into the Attack’s zone with speed. Lam ripped the puck at Attack goaltender Matthew Koprowski who made the initial save but Adrian Misaljevic squeaked by the Attack defenders, putting away the rebound for his 31st goal of the season and a early 1-0 lead. The Attack quickly kicked it up a notch on both ends of the ice, generating multiple strong scoring chances while not allowing many shots on net. Bruce McDonald cracked the code during a 4-on-4 action with four minutes left in the period. The Rangers won the offensive end draw but were not prepared for a fired up Bruce McDonald. Rushing towards the Rangers D-man and creating a turnover, McDonald quickly picked up the puck and saw a breakaway opportunity in front of him. Matheas Stark back-checked hard enough to catch up to him but was toe dragged around by McDonald, McDonald finished off the beautiful goal with a couple of slick fore-hand back-hand dekes to tie this game at one a piece.
The second period showcased a even stronger Owen Sound team on both ends of the ice. The Attack were quickly rewarded three minutes into the frame, only needing fifteen seconds of a powerplay to get the job done. A strongly executed cycle opened up room in the left and right hand slots, opening up shooting lanes for Pierce Mbuyi and Michael Dec. James Petrovski dished it to Mbuyi in the right hand slot, bringing all the attention towards him. Mbuyi made a hard pass over to Dec in the left hand slot who quickly sniped it past a screened Jason Schaubel, putting the Attack up by one and marking the fourth goal of his OHL season. Both teams ramped up their defensive and physical play throughout the remainder of the period, while both goalies turned away all the shots that came their way. Setting the stage for what should be a hard-fought third period.
The third period did not start off as planned for the Attack, as the Rangers tied the game up just a minute and forty seconds in the frame. Cameron Arquette found himself all alone in front of the Attack’s net due to a strongly executed cycle. Arquette received a pass from behind the net and picked his corner, marking his eighth goal of the season. The Rangers continued to put the pressure on, controlling possession of the puck while ramping up their defensive play. Matthew Koprowski battled in his crease, making multiple key saves helping keep this game close. Unfortunately, the Rangers did not let off putting their third goal on the board with nine minutes left in the frame. Misaljevic created a turnover deep in their end and found a burst of speed, quickly breaking out into the Attack’s zone. Misaljevic looked up and saw three white jerseys and two red jerseys. He dropped it back for Jack Pridham who found Luke Ellinas cutting into the slot, Pridham hit Ellinas with a hard pass and finished off the beautiful tic-tac-toe play, potting his 20th goal of the season and taking the lead with nine minutes to go. The Attack battled hard throughout the remainder of the period, but couldn’t get the puck past Schaubel in the third period, settling this game with a 3-2 final in favour of Kitchener.
The Owen Sound Attack have another busy week ahead, starting off their final week of the regular season at the Sadlon Center for a 7pm matchup with the Barrie Colts. The Attack will make their way to Kitchener following Wednesday night’s matchup, for a 7pm matchup on Friday, March 21 with the Kitchener Rangers. Finishing off the regular season with a key matchup on Saturday, March 22 playing host to the Guelph Storm. Tickets for Saturday’s game are limited and can be purchased at the MacVicar & McComb Sutton Sound Realty Attack Box Office, over the phone at 519-371-7452 or online at tickets.attackhockey.com. If you cannot attend the game, Attack games can be seen on Rogers Television Georgian Bay (Channel 53), streamed on CHLtv and heard on 560 CFOS Bear Radio.
