All Bears, No Brawn
Brampton, ON- The Brampton Steelheads fall, 5-4, to the Erie Otters in the Teddy Bear Toss Game after Malcolm Spence gets the overtime goal.
Anticipation was high as the Steelheads kicked off their annual Teddy Bear Toss game. Fans had their stuffed animals ready as they anxiously waited for one Steelhead to put it past Noah Elriden.
While the Teddy Bear Toss goal was secured late in the first period, the Otters took control of the later half of the first and throughout the second. However, the Steelhead’s three unanswered goals lead to an epic comeback in the third and eventual overtime. Yet, it was Spence who secured the Otter’s victory with an early overtime goal.
The Trout had many chances early on in the first, including a big opportunity from Spencer Sova, but with some huge glove saves from Elriden, that desired first goal would have to wait. The Otters got the icebreaker after Martin Misiak scored on the power play.
After Reed Gee got two minutes for boarding, Erie took advantage of the extra attacker and set up in the offensive end. Getting the puck off the faceoff, Misiak sent a slapshot from the point and got it past Jack Ivankovic.
Shaking off the goal, Ivankovic made a series of saves throughout the period to keep the Steelheads within one. Not wanting to disappoint the fans, the Trout began an offensive push to tie the game and send the bears to the ice.
After intercepting the puck off Ty Henry in the Otter’s zone, Jack Van Volsen pushed towards the goal while Adam Zidlicky came up the left side to create a 2-on-1 opportunity. As he got covered off by Henry, Van Volsen made a nice backhanded pass to Zidlicky, who, with no one covering him, sent the puck into the back of the net, getting the Teddy Bear Toss goal.
Coming off the excitement of the Teddy Bear Toss, the Steelheads looked to extend their lead to two; instead, it was the Otters who got the go-ahead goal. Dylan Edwards got the puck from behind the Steelhead’s net and made a pass out front to Carey Terrance. With the open lane, Terrance fired the puck on goal, making it 2-1.
The second period started with some 4-on-4 after things got heated between Porter Martone and Wesley Royston in the last minute of the first. As the period continued, Erie seemed to dominate the second as the Steelheads faced back-to-back penalties while the Otters extended their lead by three.
Callum Hughes got the Otters’ first goal of the period off a 2-on-1 opportunity. Hughes carried the puck up the neutral zone before passing it to Misiak, who took it deep into the zone. Covering off Ivankovic on the right, Misiak made a cross-crease pass back to Hughes, who fired it into the open left side.
Spence followed with the Otters’ fourth goal after Matthew Schaefer made a great play in the Steelheads zone. Picking up the puck in the neutral zone, Schaefer deked around two Trout defence before driving to the net. Instead of making the shot, he sent a backdoor feed to Spence, who buried it into the net.
Not all hope was lost for the Steelheads as Martone scored an outstanding goal in the late minutes of the second. Parker Von Richter sent a pass down to the right corner for Martone, who deked around a defender and set himself up just below the faceoff circle. Despite the tricky angle, Martone took the shot and made it a 4-2 game.
Down by two, the Steelheads entered the third, ready to make a comeback and through two early goals, the Trout were able to tie things up. Carson Rehkopf brought things within one on the powerplay.
After Pano Fimis was called for tripping, the Steelheads utilized the man advantage and began a breakout rush into the Otters’ zone. Martone brought the puck down into the right corner before finding Rehkopf out front. With no one to cover him, Rehkopf sniped it past Elriden.
Chase Lefebvre tied things up with another goal from a tricky angle. Jakub Fibigr drove into the Otters’ zone before making a quick pass to Lefebvre, who passed it to Martone. Getting covered off by multiple defenders, Martone made a pass back to Lefebvre, who sent the puck fivehole.
Alongside the two goals to tie the game, the Steelheads had a fantastic double penalty kill after Martone’s hooking and Rehkopf’s high-sticking penalties sent the game to 5-on-3. Ivankovic stood tall in the net, making significant saves to keep the score tied at four. Out front, the Steelhead’s PK line ensured no Otters got additional shots on goal as they tied up each player and blocked shots along the way. Through this defensive effort, the game remained tied for the rest of the period and sent the game to overtime.
While a complete comeback was within reach, the Otters quickly shut this down as Spence tipped the puck in the net off a deflection from Terrance’s original shot on goal. Despite the loss, the Steelheads showed their fans a great game and collected numerous teddy bear donations for the Boys and Girls Club of Peel.
The Steelheads continue at home on Wednesday for their Brampton 50th Anniversary Celebration game against the Brantford Bulldogs. For tickets, click here.
