The Owen Sound Attack managed to steal a point in Saginaw after a wild sequence in the final minute of regulation, but fell in a shootout.
Ian Phillips beat Corbin Votary in the eighth-round of a marathon shootout to lift the Saginaw Spirit to a 7-6 win over the Attack in Ontario Hockey League action at the Dow Event Center Friday night.
The Attack forced overtime with two goals in seven seconds late in the third, after Josh Bloom put Saginaw ahead 6-4 with an empty-netter.
Bloom’s empty-net goal came with 54 seconds remaining in regulation. Then things got wild. With 19 seconds left on the clock, William Portokalis scored from just outside the crease to bring the Attack within one.
Seven seconds later Ethan Burroughs fired a backhand shot from the top of the circle that deflected through the five-hole of Brett Fullerton, tying the game 6-6 with 12 seconds left in the third.
The Attack had two opportunities to win the game in the shootout. Servac Petrovsky had the lone shootout marker heading into the third shooters. Stepan Machacek was denied on a must-save moment for Fullerton. Then Matyas Sapovaliv scored to extend the shootout.
It went on for five rounds more – eight shooters for each team in all – until Phillips finally ended the game on a deke to the backhand side.
Pavel Mintyukov finished with five points for Saginaw, two goals and three assists. Bloom also scored a pair, while Dean Loukus and Roberto Mancini added singles for the Spirit.
Colby Barlow and Ethan Burroughs each scored twice for the Attack, while Deni Goure and Portokalis added singles.
Barlow’s second goal of the game — which tied it 4-4 in the third period — was his 23rd of the season, setting a new Owen Sound franchise record for goals in an age-16 campaign. Barlow’s 23rd moved him past Bobby Ryan, who scored 22 in his underage season for the Attack in 2003-04, and Dan Sisca who had 22 as well as a 16-year-old for the Platers in 1999-2000.
Saginaw outshot Owen Sound 32-18 while going 1 for 2 on the power play; Owen Sound finished 1 for 4.
Fullerton made 12 saves in the win, while Votary stopped 27 taking the loss.
Owen Sound (25-23-3-3) lost its second straight but extended its points-streak to eight games. Saginaw (18-33-1-0) snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Attack close out their three-game road trip tomorrow night with the tail-end of a back-to-back against Saginaw.
Game time is 7:05 p.m. Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service bearadio on 560 CFOS will have the game live.