Cook scores OT winner
Holden Cook wired a one timer over North Bay Battalion netminder Evan Cormier with 2:14 remaining overtime to secure a 3-2 win in the 1st game of a three game road trip on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Cook’s one timer was the only goal after North Bay tied the game at 2-2 early in the 2nd period, and ended what was a challenging road contest.
The Attack started off strong, with Ethan Szypula scoring his 3rd goal of the year at the 4:22 mark in the 1st period.
A rebound goal on a Baywest Nissan Powerplay gave Owen Sound a very important road goal to open the game and seemed to suck momentum out of the Battalion, however that didn’t last long.
Nick Paul handcuffed Attack goalie Jack Flinn wrister from the top of the faceoff circle while Owen Sound was on a Paul Davis Systems Penalty Kill, and at 12:40, the game was tied at one apiece.
The tie didn’t last long though, as Jeffrey Gilligan redirected a Ryan Heeps shot just before the 16:00 mark to restore an Attack advantage.
Owen Sound carried that 2-1 lead into the 1st intermission, despite being outshot 14-8.
The Attack would be outshot all night, with North Bay holding a 38-16 advantage in the shot department, giving Flinn a lot of work in the Attack net.
It was one of those shots that beat the Owen Sound netminder just over 3:00 into the 2nd period when North Bay rookie Zack Poirier snuck a bouncing puck by Flinn.
That goal would be the final tally of regulation and the last goal before Cook’s overtime winner.
The game winning goal was created after a hard fought battle won along the boards by Chris Bigras just about 2:30 into overtime. After kicking the puck up to Daniel Milne, Milne found a wide open Cook in the North Bay slot and the overage forward made no mistake on his 4th goal of the year, securing Owen Sound’s 2nd straight victory.
Cook also added an assist on Szypula’s goal, and his two point effort was enough to be named the Mac Taylor 1st star of the game.
Other assists on the night went to Ryan Heeps and Damir Sharipzyanov, while Bigras also had another assist to go along with his helper on the game winner.
Attack netminder Jack Flinn was named the Mac Taylor 3rd star of the game while North Bay’s Zack Poirier was 2nd.
The Attack continue their road trip in Sudbury on Friday night before finishing in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday. Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 pm while Saturday in the Soo is set for 7:07 pm.
Owen Sound returns to the JD McArthur Arena for a pair of games on Saturday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19 when they will take on the Oshawa Generals and the Windsor Spitfires.
Game time is set for 7:30 pm and 2:00 pm respectively.
Tickets for all Attack home games can be purchased at the DJ’s Furniture Attack Box Office, online at www.attackhockey.com, or by calling 519-371-7452.
All of the action can be seen on Rogers TV Local Channel 53 or you can listen live with Fred Wallace on Terry’s Trailer Service/Kia of Owen Sound Bear Radio on 560 CFOS.
This season of Attack Hockey is brought to you by Caframo.
KEYS TO VICTORY
VS. Sudbury (1-4-0-0) – The Wolves have struggled to start the year and will be coming off of a tough game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Wednesday night. Another young team, the Attack will look to use a hard forecheck to intimidate the younger players and create chances.
VS. Sault Ste. Marie (4-0-0-0) – The Greyhounds are a skilled team that is still missing some key pieces of their lineup. The Attack will look to slow down the Hounds’ offense and clog up the neutral zone in order to prevent any scoring chances.
