No Quit Bears Pushed to Brink with 7-4 Game 3 Loss
The Owen Sound Attack find themselves on the brink of elimination after an extremely hard fought 7-4 loss in front of a loud boisterous Bayshore crowd. Ben Cormier, Landen Hookey, Tristan Delisle, and Declan Waddick had goals for the Attack, while Sam O’Reilly and Easton Cowan added two goals each and Jared Woolley, Denver Barkey and Sam Dickinson each added one. Carter George made 32 saves in the Attack net, while Elliot made 18.
The Attack set the tone early and the Bayshore faithful never let up all night behind them. Cormier almost blew the roof off the building when he opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game. Cormier’s cross ice shot deflected off a London defenders skate past Elliott for the 1-0 lead. With some solid play the Attack looked to extend the lead several times, but were unable to beat Elliott and just as it was looking like we would head into the break up 1-0, the Knights struck twice in the final minute to go up 2-1. First a point shot from Dickinson beat a completely screened George, then just 30 seconds later while shorthanded Dickinson cleared their own end creating a break up the ice, finding O’Reilly at the far post, who tip the puck past an outstretched George.
It didn’t take long for the Attack to reignite the Bayshore in the second period, when just over a minute into the period Hookey grabbed the puck off a wide shot from Pierce Mbuyi and roofed the puck into the back of the net over the shoulder of Elliott, tying the game at 2. Unfortunately for the Attack the momentum did not last for long when three minutes later a missed assignment led to a wide open Barkey in the slot. Kasper Halttunen found Barkey in front with a soft pass and Barkey one-timed it home for the 3-2 lead. Not long after the Knights would capitalize once again while shorthanded this time it was Jesse Nurmi winning the race for the puck and finding Cowan streaking down the middle, Cowan made nice move sliding the puck five hole on George to give the Knights a 2 goal lead 4-2. The Attack did not quit and it was a great play at their own blue line by Mbuyi that put the wheels in motion for a rush up the ice by Hookey. Once he gained the Knights zone he made a strong move to the net looking to jam it home, which Elliott was able to push aside, but the rebound landed on the stick of Delisle who buried it to cut the lead to just one, 4-3, with a little over six minutes to play in the middle frame. Not even a minute later, the roof almost shot off the Bayshore when a shot from the point from Waddick fooled Elliott, tying the game at 4.
Despite a valiant effort in the third period, the Knights were able to find the net before the midway point in the period to make it 5-4, when O’Reilly struck for his second of the game. They would add an insurance marker with under five minutes to play thanks to Woolley and an empty net goal, Cowans second of the night, making the final 7-4 and putting the Attack in a must win situation on Thursday night, with the series now 3-0 Knights.
Game four of the OHL Western Conference Quarter Final series between the London Knights and the Owen Sound Attack will go on Thursday, April 3 at 7pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. A group of tickets will be released for this game on Wednesday, April 2 at 1pm. These tickets can be purchased in person at the MacVicar & McComb Sutton Realty Attack Box Office, over the phone at 519-371-7452 or online at tickets.attackhockey.com. Unable to attend the game will be carried on Rogers Television Georgian Bay and streamed on CHLtv.
