They scratched and clawed their way back, but the Attack couldn’t find a game-tying goal.
Kasper Halttunen scored a key insurance marker on the power play with 3:13 remaining in the third period and Denver Barkey added an empty-netter, as the London Knights beat the Owen Sound Attack 6-3 in Game 2 of their Ontario Hockey League Western Conference quarterfinal Sunday afternoon at Canada Life Place.
London now leads the best of seven series 2-0.
Barkey finished with two goals and five points. Easton Cowan, Landon Sim and Jared Woolley also scored for London, which jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period.
Pierce Mbuyi, Bruce McDonald and Tristan Delisle had the goals for the Attack. They all came in the second period, as Owen Sound battled from four down to make it a one goal game.
Mbuyi was sent to the penalty box at 14:57 of the third period on a questionable slashing call. The Attack rookie took two cross-checks across the back from Knights defenceman Oliver Bonk, and responded by tying up the Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect’s stick. Mbuyi looked on in disbelief as he was sent off, sending London to the power play that led to Halttunen’s goal at 16:47 of the third which snuffed out the Attack comeback effort.
“It’s one of those ones that probably could have just went uncalled, and just skated away and let the play develop and let it play out,” says Owen Sound Attack Head Coach Scott Wray. “But, I’m a little more disappointed that we had them on the ropes … and had the chance to clear it, and we didn’t clear it.”
London came out flying in the first period. Barkey made it 1-0 just over five minutes in, sending a cross-crease pass from the left side that took an fortunate bounce off the skate of Attack defenceman Alec Leonard and past the left pad of Carter George into the net.
Cowan scored just prior to the midway mark of the first to make it 2-0. He took a back post pass from Barkey near the goal mouth, and has his stick break as he put the puck into the net.
London was then sent to the power play on a roughing call against James Petrovski at 10:12 — an opportunity that looked like it should have ended just over a minute later. Attack defenceman Elliott Arnett, playing in his first career OHL playoff game, buried Cowan into the board outside the Owen Sound blueline and then gave him an extra facewash on the ice. That drew the attention of Sam O’Reilly, who throw off his gloves and started throwing punches at Arnett. The Attack defenceman obliged, engaging in the fight and wrestling O’Reilly to the ice.
Cowan hit, O’Reilly responds by initiating a fight — a scene which most always results in an instigator penalty called. The referees and linesmen huddled for discussion, but decided against calling an instigator.
The Knights power play continued. And 21 seconds later Sim scored, taking a pass near the crease area and re-directing it low past George to make it 3-0.
Woolley capped London’s big first period with a wrist shot past the blocker of George at 15:21 to make it 4-0.
All looked lost for the Attack in Game 2. But they would push back in the second.
Mbuyi got Owen Sound on the board 3:01 into the period with the Attack on the power play. He knocked down a clearing attempt just inside the blueline, and then skated in the high slot and let a wrist shot go that beat Austin Elliott blocker side.
Just over two minutes later, the Attack cut London’s lead to 4-2 with a shorthanded goal. Antonio Tersigni forced a turnover and skated in on the right side and put a shot to the net, McDonald pounced on the rebound and put the puck in past Elliott.
Then the Attack climbed within one at 12:21 of the second. It was another rebound left in front of Elliott. Delisle found the puck a few steps in front of the crease and popped a quick shot glove side. Owen Sound’s third unanswered goal in the second period, cut London’s lead to 4-3.
But that was as close as the Attack would get. They had a couple of good scoring chances in the third, but were unable to find the game-tying goal. Sam Dickinson muffed a clearing attempt from the corner that went right to Masen Wray, he had some open space to the net and skated in a couple steps to the high slot and let a wrist shot go. Elliott made the save.
McDonald also created a quality scoring chance, cutting in front of the net and taking the puck backhand — Elliott scrambled to his left and got to it as McDonald moved to tuck it past the Knights’ goaltender.
“I really loved the way we crawled back. I didn’t love the way we started. We gave them a 4-0 cushion and then we had another really good second period,” Wray says. “We have to figure out a way to do that right from the drop of the puck. We all the know the confines of the Bayshore. I think we’re a little more comfortable there. There’s still a lot of young guys that are seeing the bright lights in this rink and the 10,000 people around.”
Elliott made 22 saves in the win, while George stopped 35 taking the loss. The Knights outshot the Attack 41-25 while going 2 for 4 on the power play; the Attack finished 1 for 8.
The series now shifts to Owen Sound for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 goes Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
ILLNESS BUG BITES
The Attack were without forwards Declan Waddick and Harry Nansi, and defenceman Lenny Greenberg for Game 2 in London. Wray says Waddick and Greenberg are day-to-day with an illness. Nansi was a late scratch, and in a post-game interview Wrays says it was illness as well that knocked him out of the lineup. Rookie forward Ethan Kindree made his OHL playoff debut in Nansi’s place, playing an energy role on the team’s fourth line and catching the attention of his head coach.
“I want to credit Ethan Kindree coming in,” Wray says. “Sixteen-year-old, played with jam, played with identity, everything you want to see in him. The last game he played for us in Kitchener, I got really excited about him. He’s just a heart-and-soul type guy, and he’s worked out so hard during the season. He’s done everything we’ve asked … and I think he deserves another shot when we go back to the Bayshore.”
ARNETT RETURNS
Attack defenceman Elliott Arnett return to the Attack lineup in Game 2, after missing the last eight games of the regular season and Game 1 of the playoffs.
Listen to Attack head coach Scott Wray’s full post-game comments below:
