Saturday Highlights: Perfetti’s 30th powers Spirit in overtime

 

SAGINAW 3, GUELPH 2 – OT
Ryan Suzuki set up Cole Perfetti (30) 1:19 into overtime as the Saginaw Spirit edged the visiting Guelph Storm 3-2 in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Championship Series. Danny Katic (10) and Damien Giroux (32) also scored Spirit goals while Marshall Frappier made 21 saves. Keegan Stevenson (18) and Jacob Roach (11) scored Guelph goals while Nico Daws helped his team earn a point with a 29-save showing. Saginaw climbs to 32-15-2-2 for first place in the West Division. Guelph drops to 25-19-2-4 and sits in a sixth place tie with Owen Sound in the Western Conference.
GAME CENTRE

 

OWEN SOUND 4, ERIE 3
Kaleb Pearson (21, 22) had another big night as the Owen Sound Attack edged the Erie Otters 4-3 on the road. Pearson scored twice while other Attack goals came from Kaleb Lawrence (4) and Andrew Perrott (3) before the Bears held off the Otters in the third period. Down 4-1, Erie scored a pair of third period markers but couldn’t make it all the way back as they lost despite outshooting Owen Sound 35-25. Brendan Hoffmann (10), Connor Lockhart (9) and Brendan Sellan (7) were goal-scorers as Attack netminder Mack Guzda secured his second straight 20-win season with 32 saves. Owen Sound earns a third straight win, improving to 25-19-3-3 to sit tied for sixth in the Western Conference. 21-19-4-6 Erie sits two points up on Sault Ste. Marie for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
GAME CENTRE

 

PETERBOROUGH 4, OTTAWA 1
The Peterborough Petes halted the red hot Ottawa 67’s, stopping their winning streak at 10 games as Hunter Jones made 31 saves in a 4-1 win on home ice. Liam Kirk (17), Declan Chisholm (11), Nick Robertson (42) and Michael Little (6) scored Peterborough goals, with Robertson extending his goal-scoring streak to 14 games. Fellow Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Semyon Der-Arguchintsev picked up two assists as the Petes prevailed despite being outshot 32-20. Second-year blueliner Alec Belanger (9) spoiled Jones’ shutout bid 2:11 into the third period as the 67’s lost for the first time since Jan. 11th, a defeat that also came at the hands of the Petes. Ottawa is now 40-8-0-0 and owns a 15 point cushion atop the East Division. Peterborough improves to 31-19-2-1. The Petes are 4-1-1-0 against Ottawa this season.
GAME CENTRE

 

SUDBURY 6, BARRIE 4
Matej Pekar (20, 21, 22) busted out for a hat-trick against his old Barrie teammates as the Sudbury Wolves dug out of a 3-0 hole to defeat the Colts 6-4 on the road. The Buffalo Sabres prospect got Sudbury on the board late in the first period before scoring with one minute left in the second, capping off his hat-trick with an empty netter. Kosta Manikis (5) scored the game winner with 6:42 left in the third period while other Sudbury goals came from Blake Murray (22) and Owen Robinson (11). Evan Vierling (8), Tyson Foerster (30) and Josh Nelson (9) scored to give Barrie a 3-0 lead before the wheels came off. Christopher Cameron (2) also scored for the Colts as their three-game winning streak came to an end. Sudbury outshot Barrie 44-20 as Jet Greaves kept his team in the game with 38 saves. Sudbury leads the Central Division at 26-24-1-0 and improves to 5-0 against Barrie this season. The Colts sit third in the Central with a 22-22-3-2 record.
GAME CENTRE

 

FLINT 7, HAMILTON 3
Hometown product Jack Wismer (17, 18, 19) recorded his first OHL hat-trick on three third period goals, powering the Flint Firebirds to a 7-3 road win in Hamilton. The Firebirds extended their franchise record winning streak to nine games, overcoming a 3-1 first period deficit with six unanswered goals. Ty Dellandrea (30), Quinn Yule (3), Riley Piercey (16) and Brennan Othmann (13) joined Wismer in the goal-scoring department while Evgeniy Oksentyuk picked up three assists. Los Angeles Kings prospect Arthur Kaliyev (36, 37) scored twice for the Bulldogs while overage winger Bradey Johnson (7) also found the back of the net. Flint’s Anthony Popovich made 26 saves for the win opposite Zachary Roy as the Firebirds outshot the Bulldogs 39-29, going 2-for-4 on the power play. Flint climbs ahead of Windsor and into fourth in the Western Conference with a 31-17-1-1 record, four points back of Saginaw for first in the West Division. The Bulldogs fall to 21-23-6-1 and sit tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
GAME CENTRE

 

SARNIA 7, WINDSOR 4
2020 NHL Draft prospect Jacob Perreault (29, 30, 31) secured his second straight 30-goal season with a hat-trick as the Sarnia Sting avenged Friday’s loss with a 7-4 road win over the Windsor Spitfires. Carolina Hurricanes prospect Jamieson Rees picked up three assists while Sean Josling (31) had a goal and two helpers, helping the Sting end a nine-game drought. Ty Voit (5), Justin O’Donnell (1) and Nolan Dillingham (3) also accounted for Sarnia goals while Ryan McGregor picked up two helpers. Sting netminder Ethan Langevin stopped 41 of 45 for the win as Sarnia was outshot 45-30. Cole Purboo (17) found the back of the net in his 250th career contest while Chris Playfair (3), Wyatt Johnston (9) and Egor Afanasyev (22) rounded out the Windsor scoring. The Sting improve to 17-28-5-1 while Windsor falls below the Flint Firebirds and into fifth in the Western Conference standings with a 29-15-5-0 record.
GAME CENTRE

 

SOO 10, NIAGARA 1
The Soo Greyhounds scored 10 times on 45 shots, routing the visiting Niagara IceDogs 10-1 on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. The Hounds led 5-1 after two periods before tacking on five more in the final frame. Rory Kerins (25, 26) scored twice and added two assists while Tanner Dickinson (5) joined him with four points, netting a goal and three helpers. Joe Carroll (16, 17) and Jaden Peca (13, 14) also had two-goal efforts while Alex Johnston (11), Jaromir Pytlik (17) and Robert Calisti (14) added singles. The Greyhounds went 4-for-5 on the power play, getting back into the win column after three straight losses. Andrew Bruder (8) scored Niagara’s lone goal as the IceDogs’ woes continued. Niagara, who remains without injured captain Ivan Lodnia, has been outscored 43-10 over the past five games and has now dropped eight in a row, falling to 17-29-4-1. The Hounds pick up two points, improving to 24-26-2-0, just two points back of eighth place Erie in the Western Conference.
GAME CENTRE