What a night for the Owen Sound Attack.
Landen Hookey scored his second of the game 1:12 into overtime, lifting the Attack to a 5-4 comeback win over the Brampton Steelheads in Ontario Hockey League action Friday evening at CAA Centre.
Hookey took a pass on the right side of the offensive zone from Pierce Mbuyi, and whipped the puck past Jack Ivankovic on the power play to complete the Attack rally.
Owen Sound trailed 4-1 early in the third period.
Mbuyi finished with three points, a goal and two assists. Michael Dec had a two point night, including the game-tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation.
Gabe Smith scored his first career OHL goal for the Attack – coincidentally in his first ever OHL game in his hometown of Brampton.
The Attack (13-23-2-3) won for their third time in the past four games, and won for the first time this season when trailing after two periods.
It was also the first win for an Attack team over the Steelheads since Oct. 26, 2018. Brampton/Mississauga had won six straight games over Owen Sound.
Owen Sound was down 3-1 after two. It was 4-1 Brampton just over four minutes into the third, as Angus MacDonell picked up a rebound near the faceoff dot on the left side of the offensive zone and fired a quick shot over the glove of Carter George, bar down and in.
Then the Attack took over. Mbuyi cut the lead to 4-2 at 6:50 of the third, taking a pass from Dec in front and potting it.
Less than two minutes later the lead was one, as Hookey got a pass from Masen Wray just inside the blueline and had all kinds of time and space after moving the puck through his own legs. The Attack captain took it towards the net and then beat Ivankovic with a shot glove side.
Then it was Dec in the final minute. And it came after a lengthy sequence where the Attack couldn’t get puck possession and their goaltender to the bench. But when they did, Ivankovic left his crease on the dump in to play the puck behind his goal – and his squandered it. Mbuyi was there and found Dec near the hash mark, who beat Ivankovic back to the net with his shot. Tie game 4-4, with 33.7 seconds remaining.
Brampton (18-15-7) extended its point-streak to five games.
The Steelheads led 1-0 after the first on a Carson Rehkopf goal. He finished the night with two, scoring early in the second as well to make it 2-0.
Smith’s first OHL goal came at 12:44 of the second, cutting Brampton’s lead to 2-1.
Less than two minutes later it was Lucas Karmiris on a nice shorthanded play, restoring Brampton’s two-goal lead. He won a foot race to the puck as it slid towards George. Karmiris dove and then chipped it over the goaltender’s stick, and as he slid on his knees touched the puck into the empty net.
George made 27 saves in the win, while Ivankovic stopped 29 taking the loss. Owen Sound outshot Brampton 34-31 while going 1 for 4 on the power play; the Steelheads finished 0 for 3.
Saturday, the Attack return home to host the Flint Firebirds. It will be the return of forward Sam McCue to the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, just over a week after the Attack moved him to Flint in the trade that landed Owen Sound rookie forward Cole Zurawski.
HELLO OLD FRIEND
Friday’s game in Brampton was Owen Sound’s first against former captain Konnor Smith, who was traded to the Steelheads just ahead of the Jan. 9 overage player deadline. Smith was held off the scoresheet and posted a minus-2 against his old club.