Colts Down Attack 4-1
For the second time this season, the Barrie Colts welcomed the Owen Sound Attack to the BMC on Thursday night. In their previous meeting, the Colts squeaked out a 2-1 win early in the season. Coming in to Thursday night’s game with a 3-game winning streak, the Colts looked to extend that streak to start off a tough weekend.
The second period would be the deciding factor in Thursday’s game as the Colts were able to capitalize 3 times in the period en route to a 4-1 win. Kevin Labanc tallied a goal and two assists in the win, while Brendan Lemieux and Julius Nattinen each had a goal and an assist. Justin Scott scored his 5th goal of the season to record a point, along with Andrew Mangiapane and Rasmus Andersson who also notched an assist each on the night.
Only 55 seconds into the game, the Colts would get on the board first when Lemieux redirected a shot from Nattinen. After Labanc got the puck to Nattinen, Nattinen in turn fired the puck from the right of Attack goalie, Daniel Dekoning, and Lemieux was cutting hard to the net for the redirection. Lemieux’s goal was his 6th goal in only 8 games so far this season.
The Colts would be unable to get out of the period with a lead though, as less than two minutes later the Attack answered back. Damir Sharipzyanov broke down the left side and fired a shot on net, and Keenan Reynolds was in the slot to bury the rebound. The 1-1 tying goal was Reynolds first goal of the season.
The rest of the game would see the Colts gain, extend, and hold on to their lead.
Shorthanded and only 2:30 in to the second period, the Colts would capitalize on an odd-man break. Mangiapane and Scott broke in 2-on-0, but after a few give-and-go passes; Scott narrowly missed his final shot and put it wide of the goal. However, the missed shot went right to Mangiapane at who the right of the goal, and he fed Scott who had circled back into the slot. Scott buried his 5th of the season on a backhand to make it 2-1 Colts early in the second.
Then, at 6:04 the Colts would extend their lead to 3-1 when Nattinen put home his 10th of the season. The Colts maintained possession for a stretch in the Attack zone, and Andersson got the puck down low to Nattinen. Nattinen walked off the sideboards, and then fed Labanc down on the goal line. Labanc turned away from the defender, dished a backhand pass into the slot for Nattinen, and Nattinen beat Dekoning.
Midway through the period, it looked as though the Colts were going to extend their lead during some 4-on-4 action, but Lemieux ripped a shot off the post, and Mangiapane nearly finished on a great deke chance, but couldn’t put it home.
Instead, it would be with less than one second remaining in the period when the Colts would extend their lead to three goals.
In the dying seconds of the second period, Labanc attempted to break around an Attack defenseman to get a shot off, but when it was blocked, the deflected puck went to Lemieux on the blue line. With two seconds left, Lemieux passed to Labanc who had opened up in the slot, and Labanc ripped a shot past Dekoning. After review, the goal would be recorded as being scored at 0:01.
The third period would be quiet on the goal front, with neither team being able to find the back of the net.
In goal, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 34 of the 35 shots that he faced, making extremely big saves in the second period when the momentum was on the Colts side. In the other end, the Colts were able to fire 28 shots on Dekoning through 60 minutes.
Neither team was able to capitalize on their power play opportunities, with the Colts going 0 for 3 on their chances, and shutting the door on all seven chances for the Attack.
With the win, the Colts have won eight of their last nine games and move to 16-7-0-0 on the season.
The Colts continue their three-in-three weekend Friday night when they travel to Kitchener to take on the Rangers. Saturday, they return to the BMC to face the Niagara IceDogs for the third time this season. For tickets, please visit the BMC Box Office or online at www.ticketbreak.com.
