Surzycia Stops 33, Sarnia Ends Losing Skid, Beating Mississauga 3-1
By Carl Chimenti
Goaltender Nick Surzycia, turned away all but one of the 34 shots he faced and Nathan Omeri scored the game winner with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation and the Sarnia Sting snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Mississauga Steelheads 3-1, Sunday afternoon, at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.
Surzycia, turned in a brilliant performance from start to finish and the Sting came up with a fine defensive effort, picking up a huge two points before Monday’s big game, with play-off implications, against the Erie Otters on the road. For his outstanding effort Surzycia walked away with first star honors. Omeri scored at 13:21, letting go a shot from the point with former Steelhead Kai Schwindt (Florida Panthers) providing the screen, into the net with what proved to be the winning goal. The play went under review for possible goaltending interference, but the goal was upheld. Ryan Brown scored the insurance goal into an empty net, unassisted at 18:10.
Schwindt was facing his former team for the first time since being acquired last November. Lukas Fischer, opened the scoring in the first period with his fourth goal of the season, on the power-play. The Sting also faced a couple of former players for the first time in Porter Martone and Angus MacDonell, since last season’s trade. Sarnia had four players who picked up an assist in Owen MacDonald, Easton Wainwright, Marko Sikic and Roman Kukumberg. Jack Van Volsen scored the lone goal for Mississauga, which briefly tied the game at 11:19, before Omeri’s winning goal less than two minutes later.
Van Volsen was the second star and Adam Zidlicky, who had the primary assist, was the third star. Mississauga out-shot Sarnia 34-23. The Sting scored once on the power-play in four chances. The Steelheads went 0/3. Ryerson Leenders came up with 20 saves on 22 shots for the Steelheads.
The Sarnia Sting were in control throughout the first period even though the shot clock did not tell the whole story, despite a 10-7 count in Sarnia’s favor. The Sting scored the only goal on the power-play from Fischer at 5:56. Fischer’s shot came from just inside the blue-line and found the back of the net, in front of a screened Leenders. Kukumberg and Wainwright drew the assists. In a scoreless second period Sarnia had to battle through some early penalty trouble and did so with some fine work from the penalty kill unit, who managed to box and keep Mississauga to the out-side. Surzycia was also a big part in keeping the Steelheads off the scoreboard in the first two periods, with strong goaltending including a couple of ten-bell saves on Steelhead forwards Van Volsen and Mason Zebeski. Mississauga out-shot Sarnia 13-6.
