Panthers prevail in OT thriller
The Sun County Panthers mounted their own thrilling comeback, edging out the York Simcoe Express 6-5 in a back-and-forth battle on day two of the OHL Cup round-robin.
The Panthers came out flying, with Brayden Lappalainen (3) opening the scoring just 58 seconds into the game. Mason Vieau (1) followed up just over a minute later, quickly putting the Panthers in control. Midway through the opening frame, Blake Comartin (1) extended the lead to three.
The Express responded just seconds later, as Cole Crawford (2) got them on the board. Crawford struck again early in the second period, cutting the deficit to one.
That goal kicked off a flurry of scoring, with three goals in under three minutes. Lappalainen netted his second of the game at 2:24, restoring the Panthers’ two-goal cushion. But Ryerson Edgar (3) answered for the Express at 3:51, once again making it a one-goal game.
Later in the frame, Edgar struck again, tying things up and setting the stage for a dramatic third period.
The Express took its first lead of the match midway through the final frame, courtesy of Ben Veitch (2).
In the dying minutes of the third, the Panthers pulled their goalie in search of the equalizer. Lappalainen fired a shot off the post that danced across the goal line, initially waved off by the officials. After a stoppage, the referees conferred and ruled it a good goal, tying the game at five and sending it to an extra frame.
Overtime saw a high-paced 3-on-3 battle, ultimately decided by Alexander Lisi (1), who sealed the Panthers’ victory. “Woodsy made a great heads-up play to me around the red line,” Lisi said. “I came in and noticed that the D cheated over, so glove side was open, and I kind of ripped it home from there.”
Both teams put on an exciting show, showing their resilience to capture much-needed points. The Panthers’ quick start and late-game heroics secured them a hard-fought victory, while the Express showed incredible fight, erasing an early three-goal deficit. Both teams will be back on the ice later in the day.
Under Armour Player of the Game:
Sun County Panthers: Brayden Lappalainen (F) – 3G, 1A
York Simcoe Express: Cole Crawford (F) – 2G, 1A
