Friday Highlights: Big line strikes for Sting

 

SARNIA 7, FLINT 5
The Sarnia Sting took care of another team in the Kia CHL Top 10, defeating the visiting Flint Firebirds 7-5 for their sixth win in the past seven games. Sean Josling’s (11, 12, 13) tear across OHL scoresheets continued as he netted his second hat-trick of the season while linemate Ryan Roth (8, 9) picked up two goals and two assists and Jamieson Rees gathered four helpers. Kelton Hatcher (1) and Sam Bitten (5) also scored Sarnia goals as the Sting outshot the Firebirds 38-34. Flint’s five-game winning streak came to an end as Dennis Busby (2), Evgeniy Oksentyuk (7), Jack Wismer (5), Ethan Keppen (5) and Connor Roberts (4) all scored goals. Flint falls to 10-4-0-0 but remains atop the West Division. Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jordan Kooy made 29 saves to win in his Sting debut as Sarnia improves to 6-8-0-0.
GAME CENTRE

 

LONDON 7, ERIE 6 – OT
Washington Capitals prospect Connor McMichael (14, 15, 16) was the star of the show, recording a hat-trick in the final 25 minutes of action to lead the London Knights past visiting Erie in a 7-6 overtime thriller. McMichael scored the game winner with 1:56 remaining in the extra frame, finishing the night with six points, the most by a Knights player in a single game since Robert Thomas in October 2017. The Knights charged out to a 3-0 lead after one period, but the Otters made a game of things just as they did in a 6-5 shootout win last weekend. Erie led 6-5 with two minutes remaining in regulation before McMichael scored to tie things up and send the game to OT where he netted the winner on a wrister past Aidan Campbell. Ottawa Senators prospect Jonathan Gruden (6, 7) scored twice while Ryan Merkley picked up three assists. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alec Regula also scored for London while overage netminder Dylan Myskiw made his OHL debut in relief, stopping all five shots he faced to earn the win. Otters defenceman Kurtis Henry (3, 4) scored twice and added an assist while Hayden Fowler (7) had a goal and two helpers. Mathew MacDougall (2), Emmett Sproule (5) and Daniel D’Amato (8) also scored for the Otters as they earned a point in the overtime loss. London outshot Erie 45-26, going 2-for-5 on the power play to improve to 7-4-1-1 on the season, winning four of their past five. Erie falls to 7-5-1-2 and has earned at least a point in four straight games.
GAME CENTRE

 

BARRIE 4, SAGINAW 3 – SO
The Saginaw Spirit fought back late in the third period to tie the score at three but the visiting Barrie Colts would take the extra point as Tyson Foerster and former Spirit forward Nicholas Porco scored shootout markers in a 4-3 victory. Vancouver Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs came up big in the Colts win, making 35 saves before stopping Blade Jenkins and Cole Perfetti in the shootout. Ryan Suzuki (4) and Jacob Tortora (2) spotted Barrie a 2-0 lead after one period while Tyler Tucker (3) also found the back of the net. Foerster and defenceman Nathan Allensen both recorded a pair of assists. Ethan Cardwell (5), Blade Jenkins (5) and Damien Giroux (13) scored Saginaw goals while Perfetti picked up a pair of assists. Marshall Frappier made 32 saves, helping the Spirit pick up a point while defenceman Ilya Solovyov had an assist in his return to the lineup. Barrie improves to 9-5-0-1, starting a weekend on the road off on the right foot. Saginaw sits at 9-6-1-1, tied for first in the West Division.
GAME CENTRE

 

SUDBURY 3, NORTH BAY 2
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Kalle Loponen (4) scored the game winner with 3:49 left in the third period as the Sudbury Wolves took a 3-2 win in North Bay. David Levin (5) tied the score at two 3:46 into the third frame while Owen Robinson (3) also scored for the Wolves. Levin finished the night with a goal and two assists while Christian Purboo earned the win against his former club, making 28 saves. Matthew Struthers (9) and Luke Moncada (8) scored Battalion goals in front of a 25-save effort from rookie Joe Vrbetic. The Wolves remain atop the Central with a 10-7-0-0 record while the Troops drop their sixth in a row, falling to 3-12-0-0.
GAME CENTRE

 

HAMILTON 4, MISSISSAUGA 2
The Jan Jenik-Arthur Kaliyev (17, 18) connection kept clicking in Mississauga on Friday as the Hamilton Bulldogs skated to a 4-2 road win over the Steelheads. The two hooked up twice, with Kaliyev scoring a pair to give him a league-leading 18 goals as the Bulldogs went 2-for-6 on the power play. Tag Bertuzzi (5) and Avery Hayes (4) also lit the lamp while Nathan Staios had a pair of assists. Rookie goaltender Marco Costantini turned in a solid showing with 39 saves as the Bulldogs were outshot 41-33. Max Dodig (2) and Nick Isaacson (3) scored Mississauga goals while Kai Edmonds took the loss but earned second star honours with 29 stops. The Bulldogs climb back to .500 at 8-8-1-0 while Mississauga loses a fourth in a row, falling to 4-10-0-0. Ty Collins and Calvin Martin both made their Steelheads debut in the loss.
GAME CENTRE

 

OSHAWA 5, KINGSTON 1
The Oshawa Generals went into Kingston and took two points from the Frontenacs as Brett Neumann (12) led the way with a goal and two assists in a 5-1 win. Nico Gross (6), Jacob Winterton (3), Ty Tullio (9) and Allan McShane (5) all scored for the Generals while rookie goaltender Zachary Paputsakis turned aside 28 shots. Kingston’s Ryan Dugas was kept busy, making 41 saves in the loss while the Frontenacs’ lone goal came off the stick of Luke Drewitt (3) with 47 seconds to spare in the first period. Oshawa outshot Kingston 46-29, going 4-for-7 on the power play. The Generals have now won eight straight meetings against Kingston. Oshawa improves to to 12-2-0-1 with 25 points atop the East Division. Kingston drops an eighth straight decision, falling to 1-11-2-1.
GAME CENTRE

 

OWEN SOUND 5, KITCHENER 2
The Owen Sound Attack poured it on early, outshooting the Kitchener Rangers 30-16 through the game’s first 40 minutes to take a 3-0 lead, holding on for a 5-2 road win. Kitchener turned things on in the third period but it was too little, too late as the Attack put things out of reach on a shorthanded goal from Matthew Philip (6). Barret Kirwin (6, 7) scored twice while Aidan Dudas (7) and Adam McMaster (3) also found the back of the net, helping the CHL’s eighth-ranked Attack return to the win column. Deni Goure picked up a pair of assists while Mack Guzda made 28 saves. Kitchener goals came from Ville Ottavainen (4) and Declan McDonnell (3) while Jacob Ingham stopped 31. The Attack lead the Midwest Division at 9-3-1-1 while Kitchener falls to 6-4-2-2.
GAME CENTRE

 

GUELPH 6, SOO 4
Pavel Gogolev (8, 9, 10) buried a hat-trick and a career-high five points, leading the Guelph Storm to a 6-4 win in Sault Ste. Marie. Montreal Canadiens prospect Cam Hillis and big Minnesota Wild prospect Fedor Gordeev each picked up three assists while Cedric Ralph (5, 6) scored twice and Keegan Stevenson (7) also capitalized. Reigning OHL ‘On the Run’ Player of the Week Nico Daws made 32 saves as the Storm were outshot 36-24. Guelph managed to go 3-for-5 on the power play, picking up their fourth straight win. Dominic Mufarreh (3, 4) had his first career multi-goal game for the Greyhounds while Jaden Peca (8) and Joe Carroll (2) also scored goals. Guelph sits second in the Midwest with a 7-4-1-2 record. Sault Ste. Marie drops a fourth straight decision, falling to 6-9-1-0.
GAME CENTRE

 

OTTAWA 8, NIAGARA 3
The Niagara IceDogs got up 3-1 after one period before allowing seven unanswered goals in an 8-3 loss to the visiting Ottawa 67’s. Ottawa came out and outshot Niagara 17-3 in the second period, scoring five times to take control of the game. Mitchell Hoelscher (9, 10), Jack Quinn (8), Marco Rossi (5) and Alec Belanger (2) all had three points while OHL Defenceman of the Month Noel Hoefenmayer picked up a pair of assists. Felix-Antoine Tourigny (1) and Yanic Crete (1) also scored first career goals while Austen Keating (8) also found the back of the net. The 67’s outshot the IceDogs 37-27 as goaltender Will Cranley made 24 saves for the win. Akil Thomas (6, 7) scored twice for Niagara while Giancarlo Chanton (1) picked up his first OHL goal. The 67’s lock up their fourth straight win, improving to 10-4-0-0 on the season. Niagara drops a third in a row, falling to 5-8-2-1.
GAME CENTRE