ATTACK WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS !
ATTACK WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS !
Our Owen Sound Attack won their first Ontario Hockey League Western Conference Championship in Owen Sound franchise history Wednesday night. They did it with a convincing a 10-4 victory over the reigning Memorial Cup champs, the Windsor Spitfires.
The 2011 Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference champs is ours !
That’s great, but the boys did not touch this fine trophy. Tradition has it that you only “parade” the final Championship Trophy. The J. Ross Robertson Cup is the one our boys want. Emblematic as the winner of the Ontario Hockey League Championship Series.
A 10-4 score it was, but it was not that kind of game. Period one closed tied at 2-2 and after two periods of play, it was 4-2 Attack. Attack fans were a little anxious. Six third period Attack goals were not expected.
Our Attack now play the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors for the league Championship. With Mississauga hosting the 2011 Memorial Cup, by winning the Wayne Gretzky Trophy, our Attack automatically qualify for the Memorial Cup competition. The host league supplies two entries while the Western Hockey League Champions and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Champions round out the tournament.
Half way through the first period, the Spitfires led the game 2-1, but then five unanswered Attack goals sealed the fate of the Spitfires. Joey Hishon started it with one of his “Hishon magic“ goals. Flying in from the right wall, Joey charged at the net and cut clean through three defenders in the slot area before beating Jack Campbell with his 4th of the post season.
Attack defenceman Matt Petgrave had most likely the biggest game of his OHL career. Three goals, with one being the coast-to-coast kind where he raced the entire length of the ice before “wrapping” the puck behind Jack Campbell making it 4-2 with just 16 seconds left in the second period. With the Attack having been down 2-1 at one time, this 4-2 lead was huge.
Windsor netminder Jack Campbell was unable to help his hockey club in the third allowing 6 goals. Our Attack were just too much for what was left in the Spitfires.
Goalscorers for our Attack were Matt Petgrave with 3, linemates Andrew Shaw and Mike Halmo with 2 each and Joey Hishon, Garrett Wilson and Jarrod Maidens. Brady Vail had the hat-trick for the Spits while their Captain Ryan Ellis finished his great Major Junior career with the 4th Windsor goal.
Final score Owen Sound 10 – Windsor 4.
The Dickies Clothing Hardest Working Player of the Game was Cameron Brace.
The Kelsey’s Neighbourhood Bar and Grill Attacker of the Game was Matt Petgrave.
The 3 Stars of the Game were:
1st Star – Matt Petgrave
2nd Star – Garrett Wilson
3rd Star – Brady Vail
Game 1 – at Owen Sound. Attack 8 – Spitfires 1.
Game 2 – at Windsor. Spitfires 4 – Attack 2 EN.
Game 3 – at Owen Sound. Attack 6 – Spitfires 4 EN.
Game 4 – at Windsor. Attack 3 – Spitfires 2
Game 5 – at Owen Sound. Attack 10 – Spitfires 4.
Game dates are not yet availble for the OHL Final Series.
