Win Streak Ends in Overtime Chess Match Against Spitfires

Nick Chenard was excellent in his first start in Windsor this season. The Tecumseh native made 30 saves, with multiple highlight reel saves, as his Owen Sound Attack were on their heels for much of the game against the Windsor Spitfires. It was very much a game that Owen Sound can hold their heads high for taking a point out in a 2-1 overtime loss.

Going into the Thursday night affair, the Attack and Spitfires were two of the hottest teams in the OHL, with the Bears on a six game winning streak, while Windsor was 7-1-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Play was very low event throughout the first period, even though it was the home Spitfires holding the play and pressuring the Attack. It was a combinations of strong team defence and excellent goaltending that kept the Spitfires ooff the scoreboard, as Owen Sound would try and tilt the ice the other way late in the opening frame. It was Chenard however, who was the story of the first 30 plus minutes of the game, as he made a handful of highlight saves, to keep his team in the game.

It was then Spitfires’ leading offensive players in Wyatt Johnston and captain Will Cuylle who executed a perfect passing play, as Cuylle tapped the puck just past the toe of an outstretched Chenard. Although giving up the opening goal Chenard did not falter, ad he battled through and kept the score at just 1-0 going late into the third period.

Thanks to Chenard’s strong play, Owen Sound was able to get their legs under them and started to press offensively for much of the third period. Though the power play has still been a point of concern, Owen Sound was able to build momentum off a power play 12 minutes into the third. Just 10 seconds would pass as the Spitfires player exited the box, when Nicholas Porco would coral the puck by the side boards, before firing a quick shot on net. As the puck found its way through some light traffic, it eluded Spitfires goalie Mathias Onuska. Not only did Porco tie the game with the goal but he pulls within one of his career best 20 goals from back in the 2018-19 season.

Overtime seemed like the perfect ending for the two teams, as each played well to deserve the point, but it was the Spitfires who benefited form a late penalty call in regulation. With just seconds left on the clock in the third period it was the Attack called for a soft tripping penalty, which gave Windsor a 4-on-3 advantage to start overtime. It was again the combination of Cuylle and Johnston that sealed the win, as Cuylle poked in a loose puck after it rattled off both posts from a Johnston shot.

Owen Sound will continue their three game road trip, as they cross the board to face-off with the Saginaw Spirit in a Friday-Saturday back-to-back.