A memorable night for Antonio Tersigni was spoiled as the Attack let a three-goal lead slip in a shootout loss to Saginaw.
Tersigni completed his first Ontario Hockey League hat trick near the midway mark of the second period, giving the Attack a 4-1 lead before the Spirit battled back to tie the game, and eventually won 5-4 in a marathon, eight-round shootout at the Dow Event Center Sunday evening.
The Attack (3-7-1-2) dropped their sixth straight game. Saginaw (7-5-1) ended a three-game skid.
Sam McCue also scored for Owen Sound. Graydon Jones had a pair for the Spirit, and Michael Misa and Carson Harmer added singles.
Sebastien Gervais scored the winner in the shootout, as the puck slid off his stick near the crease and under Carter George. The Attack had a chance to answer and extend it, but Ben Cormier was denied.
Owen Sound had four opportunities to win the game in the shootout. All four were stopped by Kaleb Papineau, who was making his first OHL start.
The Attack led 2-1 after one. Jones opened the scoring 8:13 into the game with a well-placed wrist shot from the left side faceoff dot that got past George’s blocker.
But Owen Sound would respond. Six minutes later – just as an Attack power play expired – Pierce Mbuyi made a pass from the corner to Tersigni at the top of the crease. He put a quick shot past Papineau to tie it 1-1.
Less then three minutes later Tersigni had his second. Mbuyi broke up ice on the left-wing side and then sent Harry Nansi in alone on the goaltender. He deked and was denied by the pad of Papineau, but Tersigni buried the rebound to make it 2-1 Attack.
It was 3-1 Owen Sound at 8:51 of the second period. A Jake Crawford shot towards the net was batted in front by McCue, and it just trickled in past Papineau. But that’s where the play ended, not how it was called on the ice. The goal light was on, but no referee gave a goal signal. A lengthy, lengthy review ensued. Video appeared to show the puck squirting through, behind Papineau and just over the goal line as the Spirit goaltender fell onto his back.
The referees eventually decided it was a good goal, 3-1 Attack.
Owen Sound made it a 4-1 game 1:43 later. Mbuyi rung the puck around the board in the offensive zone and it road the top of the board, and then kicked off a stanchion behind the net and popped straight out front. It landed on Tersigni’s stick and he shot high glove side, scoring to complete his first OHL hat trick and provide Owen Sound a 4-1 lead.
Mbuyi picked up his third assist of the game on the play.
Saginaw would cut the lead before the second period ended. Harmer had several whacks at a puck in the blue paint and managed to muscle it in, after George made the first couple of saves with his left pad. 4-2 Attack after two.
It was a dream start to the third for Saginaw. Misa danced his way to the net to score his OHL leading 17th goal of the season with a glove side shot just 28 seconds in. Owen Sound’s lead was cut to 4-3.
Then it was a point shot from Jones that found its way through some traffic and past George, tying the game with 10:35 to go in the third.
The Attack had an opportunity to get a go ahead goal late, as Josh Glavin was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking McCue with 2:31 remaining.
Nothing doing though. The Attack couldn’t find a goal before the end of regulation, or with the 1:28 of 4-on-3 power play time that carried into overtime.
Papineau made 24 saves in the win, while George stopped 42 taking the loss. Saginaw outshot Owen Sound 46-28 while going 1 for 4 on the power play; the Attack finished 0 for 5.
After coming up empty on their three-game West Division trip, the Attack will now return home to the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre for a five-game homestand.
That starts next Saturday, Nov. 2 against the Saginaw Spirit. It’s a rare, 4 p.m. Saturday home game at the Bayshore.
ANOTHER DOWN TO INJURY
Attack rookie forward Ethan Kindree missed Sunday’s game in Saginaw with an upper-body injury he suffered in Flint a day prior. Owen Sound head coach Scott Wray says he is considered day-to-day.