A close game to open the series.
Josh Bloom scored twice and Hunter Haight had a key insurance goal with 2:32 left in the third, as the Saginaw Spirit beat the Owen Sound Attack 6-4 in Game 1 of their Ontario Hockey League Western Conference quarterfinal Thursday evening at Dow Event Center.
Michael Misa and Rodwin Dionicio also scored for Saginaw.
Cedrick Guindon, Declan Waddick, Deni Goure and Konnor Smith had the goals for the Attack.
It was a one-goal game until the Haight’s insurance marker with 2:32 to go in the third. He picked up a rebound off an Owen Beck shot and then beat Carter George past the glove as the Attack goaltender slid to his left.
The game might have gone differently if not for an unsuccessful 5-on-3 power play for the Attack late in the second period.
It was tied 3-3 and then Dionicio took a slashing penalty at 15:32. Ethan Hay was sent off for delay of game 34 seconds later after an attempt to ice the puck went over the glass behind the Attack bench.
The end result? A two-man advantage for the Attack for 1:26. But they couldn’t find a goal. And then just 26 seconds after the second penalty expired, Misa flipped a puck just over the goal line on a scramble play at the side of the net to put Saginaw ahead 4-3.
“I think the game came down to that 5-on-3 we had,” Attack interim coach Darren Rumble says. “We had some good looks, but we didn’t score. So that’s a bit of a letdown there. And then double letdown is when they go down and score immediately.”
“But, I’m really happy with the way we played. I thought we played great,” Rumble continues. “It’s one game. You have to win four. So we’re just making sure we keep our chins up, our spirits up. For us, nothing needs to change. The recipe needs to stay the same. Keep being physical and try to get the win in Game 2.”
The Spirit led 2-1 after the first period. Bloom scored just 52 seconds in, ripping a high shot over George’s glove right off an offensive zone faceoff win.
Guindon tied it just over three minutes later. Landen Hookey got the puck to Servac Petrovsky behind the net, who found Guindon open in front. He put a quick shot past the glove of Andrew Oke to tie it 1-1.
Bloom’s second of the first period at 16:16 made it 2-1 Saginaw.
The Attack would take their first lead of the game in the second. Waddick scored his first career OHL playoff goal 45 seconds into the period to tie the game. Then it was Goure with his first OHL playoff goal at 6:38, one-timing a rebound off a Colby Barlow shot past Oke to make it 3-2 Attack.
That lead lasted just 34 seconds. Dionicio tied the game again with a high shot glove side on George. And then Misa’s goal after the unsuccessful Attack 5-on-3 gave Saginaw the lead.
It remained a 4-3 game until Haight potted the an insurance marker with 2:32 to go. He would add an empty-netter after. And then in the final moments of the game, Konnor Smith skated coast-to-coast and slipped a wrist shot from the high slot past Oke with 3.2 seconds left – perhaps a message from the Attack to Saginaw this series is only getting started.
Oke made 24 saves in the win, while George stopped 40 taking the loss. Saginaw outshot Owen Sound 46-28 while going 0 for 1 on the power play; the Attack finished 0 for 3.
The Spirit lead the best-of-seven 1-0. Game 2 is Saturday night at the Dow Event Center. You can hear all the action live on Bear Radio on 560 CFOS. The Joe Tomato’s pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m.