Storm exact revenge on Attack
The Owen Sound Attack opened the scoring in Guelph on Friday night, but the Storm finished it, scoring three straight goals to come from behind and defeat Owen Sound by a score of 3-1 in a rematch of Wednesday night’s game.
A pair of goals by Detroit Red Wings prospect Givani Smith and a solid 41 save performance by Liam Herbst led Guelph to the victory, while Owen Sound’s lone goal of the game would come off the stick of Nick Suzuki.
The game started slowly on Friday night and it took 8:15 of game play for either team to register a shot on goal. However it wasn’t long after that first attempt on net that the dam was broken and the goal scoring started.
Pouncing on the rebound of his own shot was Nick Suzuki, who proceeded to bank another shot off of the back of Guelph goaltender Liam Herbst and into the back of the net to put the visitors up 1-0 at the 8:39 mark of the opening frame.
Suzuki’s play was unassisted, but made possible by the strong play of Kevin Hancock who got in the way of a clearing pass at the Storm blueline.
The sophomore forward’s 6th goal of the season would be the only tally of the opening 20 minutes, as the Attack were unable to capitalize on a late-period Baywest Nissan Powerplay chance, and the teams would head to the 1st intermission separated by just one goal.
Owen Sound would hold onto that one goal advantage until just after the game’s midway mark when the Storm would score on their 10th shot of the game.
Givani Smith would knot the game up at a goal apiece by whistling a snapshot over the glove of Michael McNiven with 11:08 gone in the 2nd.
Guelph’s assistant captain would then pick up his 2nd of the night exactly four minutes after he tied the game at one, finding the back of the net on a short handed breakaway to give the Storm a 2-1 lead.
The Attack would look to mount a comeback in the 3rd period, but before they could cut into Guelph’s margin, the home side was busy extending their advantage.
Nate Schnarr would score on an unassisted snapshot at the 3:48 mark of the final frame to put the Storm up 3-1 and making Owen Sound’s path to victory a bit more dubious.
Despite a push by Owen Sound to chip away at Guelph’s lead, including a near four minute stretch of playing with McNiven on the bench in favour of an extra skater, the Attack were unable to solve Herbst and the Storm would hold on to take the rematch by a score of 3-1.
Herbst’s 41 save performance earned him the Mac Taylor Corporation 1st Star of the Game while Givani Smith’s two goals helped him to 2nd star honours.
Owen Sound forward Nick Suzuki was named the game’s 3rd star, while the Mark McDade Remax Shots on Goal finished at 42-29 for the Attack, who is back in action on Saturday night, when the Niagara IceDogs visit the Bayshore for the only time in the 2016-17 OHL Season.
Tickets for that game, which begins at 7:30pm, are available at the MacVicar & McComb Remax Box Office, online at www.attackhockey.com, or by calling 519-371-7452.
