With Playoffs Secure Attack Continue Battle for Positioning
It was always just a matter of time, but last Saturday night the Owen Sound Attack made it official, as they clinched their ticket to the 2023 OHL Playoffs with a big win over the Oshawa Generals. The win not only signified a secure playoff birth, but was also the Attack’s 30th on the season, marking 12 consecutive years that the team accomplished the feat.
With both the 30 wins and playoffs secure the focus now switches to gearing up for the playoffs, and part of that is obtaining the best position possible. Owen Sound currently sits in 6th place in the Western Conference standings, a position that would have them match up against the Sarnia Sting in the opening round of playoffs. With three games on the schedule for the upcoming week, a strong performance by the Bears will be imperative for them to climb the standings as they still have an outside shot at obtaining 4th place.
Everything kicks off for the Attack Wednesday night when they welcome the Flint Firebirds to the Bayshore. The Bears have had their struggles in the first two meetings of the teams, as Flint holds the 2-0 season series so far, along with sitting just ahead of Owen Sound in the standings with a four point lead. The battle at the Bayshore will be critical for Owen Sound to climb the standings, as they can skate out of the night just a pair of points back of Flint while holding two games in hand. Though struggling of recent, Saturday night’s game against the Generals saw the Attack put in a complete team effort, something both the coaches and fans are hoping show up again Wednesday night.
The final game of the Highway 26 battle is all set for Friday night, as the Attack travel north to face-off against the Barrie Colts. After winning the first two games of the season, the Attack have recently struggled against the Colts, who have claimed a pair of overtime wins along with a dominant win just two weeks ago. Though the game won’t carry the same weight of a conference match-up, the Attack can use this final showdown of Highway 26 to prove to themselves and others in the league that they are very much capable of playing with the top teams, as Barrie sits third in the East, and is a top five team in the league.
The week wraps with a final Midwest divisional matchup against the Kitchener Rangers, as the blue shirts visit the Bayshore for a pivotal Saturday night showdown. Heading into the week Owen Sound holds a one point lead over the Rangers, while also carrying a game in hand. The Saturday night game will provide the Attack a perfect chance to bury the Rangers behind them in the standings, as the battle for playoff positioning continues to heat up. Owen Sound will also be looking for a bit of revenge Saturday night, as they suffered a tough loss to the Rangers just last week down at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, and are looking for the Bayshore faithful to bring the energy to the Bears Den.
As always fans can catch all the Attack action on Rogers TV Grey County or stream it live on CHL TV, while on Friday night in Barrie fans can also listen to 560 CFOS Bear Radio. For fans looking to get out to the Bayshore for one of the upcoming home games can do so by contacting the MacVicor and McComb Sutton Realty Attack Box Office at 519-371-7452 or going online. Tickets for all remaining Attack games have become limited or at standing room only so fans are asked to purchase tickets as soon as possible.
The Weekend Preview is presented by Joe Tomatoes located in the Galaxy Plaza on the Sunset Strip.
