A great start to the road trip for the Attack.
Barrie natives Cole Zurawski and Jake Crawford scored for the Owen Sound Attack, which found five unanswered goals from five different players in a 5-1 win over the Barrie Colts in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday evening at Sadlon Arena.
Landen Hookey, Pierce Mbuyi and Tristan Delisle also scored for Owen Sound (19-29-4-3), which started its three-game northern trip with a win over its Highway 26 rival Barrie.
Cole Beaudoin had the lone goal for Barrie (33-17-2-2), which lost its fourth straight game.
Owen Sound moved one point up on the idle Soo Greyhounds (21-32-1-1) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference with the win. The Attack also climbed to within two points of Sarnia (18-25-4-7) for seventh, although the Sting hold one game in hand.
Barrie struck first in the game. Bruce McDonald rushed the puck into the Colts’ zone and as he cut towards the middle after crossing the blueline, Kashawn Aitcheson caught the Attack overage forward with a big time open ice hit.
As McDonald laid on the ice, stunned, hurt … the Colts turned the puck the other way and Beaudoin popped a shot from in front of the goal past Carter George to make it 1-0 Barrie 9:08 into the first period.
McDonald left the game and did not return.
Just over a minute later the Attack tied it. Mbuyi had the puck on the left wing in the offensive zone and got hooked down. From his knees, Mbuyi then unleashed a wicked wrist shot high glove side past Sam Hillebrandt to tie it.
Then a minute and 14 seconds later Owen Sound took its first lead. Tristan Delisle won an offensive zone faceoff right back to Hookey, and the Attack captain beat Hillebrandt with a high wrist shot glove side. 2-1 Owen Sound.
Zurawski would make it a 3-1 game early in the second period. The rookie forward and Barrie native found the puck on the right board of the offensive zone, and just immediately turned and fired a hard shot on goal, catching Hillebrandt off guard and beating him high. That made it 3-1 Attack 3:37 into the second.
Owen Sound took its two-goal lead to the third. Zurawski set up the next goal, skating it up the right wing and then passing off to Delisle in the slot area. He made no mistake, putting a perfect shot high past Hillebrandt to make it 4-1 Attack five minutes into the third.
Less then two minutes later, Crawford took the puck in on the left wing side shorthanded and beat Hillebrandt with a perfect shot past the glove, off the post and in to make it 5-1.
The Colts would get their chance to get back into the game just prior to the midway mark of the third, as a Lenny Greenberg hooking call sent Barrie to a 5-on-3 power play for 1:23. George made multiple stellar pad saves, calmly shifting from left to right as the Colts tried to Beau Jelsma on the right, and Dalyn Wakely on the left with one-timers – but they couldn’t beat the Attack goaltender.
George made 28 saves in the win, while Hillebrandt stopped 28 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Colts 33-29 while going 0 for 2 on the power play; Barrie was 0 for 4.
Owen Sound continues its three-game road trip Friday night in Sudbury. Game time is 7 p.m., between the Attack and Wolves. You can hear all the action live on Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service Bear Radio on 560 CFOS.
Sunday, the Attack visit the Soo Greyhounds.
