What a save.
Ryerson Leenders denied a point-blank shot in the dying seconds of regulation to preserve a 3-2 win for the Mississauga Steelheads over the Owen Sound Attack in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre.
James Hardie, Angus MacDonnell and Kai Schwindt scored for Mississauga (25-21-4-0), which swept the two-game season series against Owen Sound.
The Attack (26-18-4-1) dropped their third straight road game, and fourth of their past five away from the Bayshore.
Colby Barlow and Kaleb Lawrence scored for Owen Sound.
It took more than 18 minutes for the game’s first goal in a cagey, defensive opening period. Hardie skated down the left-board and fired a sharp angle shot that caught Nick Chenard cheating off the near post and found its way past the Attack netminder on the short side.
Mississauga led 1-0 after one.
Barlow notched his 37th of the season just 2:04 into the second to tie the game. Cedrick Guindon made a pretty play, skating the puck down below the goal line and then firing a no-look backhand pass into the slot. It landed right on Barlow’s tape and he quickly fired it into the net.
But the Steelheads would answer with a pair of power play goals before the period was out.
MacDonnell made it 2-1 at 6:06 of the second with a high shot over Chenard’s shoulder that hit the crossbar and snapped down into the net.
Nine minutes later, Schwindt picked up his own rebound in front and chipped it past Chenard to make it 3-1.
The Steelheads sheltered their two-goal lead into the final five minutes of the third period, then Lawrence struck. The hulking Attack forward made a move from down low towards the front of the net, and then pulled the puck to his backhand before firing it fivehole past Leenders to cut the Steelheads’ lead to 3-2.
Things got pretty interesting in the final 34.6 seconds of the game. The Attack had Chenard on the bench for an extra attacker, then Guindon won the offensive zone faceoff. An attempt at goal ended up being cleared down the ice by Mississauga from there own blueline. Sam Sedley raced back to save valuable seconds and waited to hear the whistle for the icing call.
It never came. And the Attack bench wasn’t happy about it.
Sedley still managed to turn the puck back up ice and Owen Sound generating a high quality scoring chance in the final seconds, as Burroughs was left completely unguarded in the slot area and ripped a clean shot on net. Leenders lunged out towards Burroughs and somehow got his body on the puck to preserve the victory.
Leenders made 24 saves in the win, while Chenard stopped 21 taking the loss. The Attack outshot the Steelheads 26-24 while going 0 for 3 on the power play; Mississauga finished 2 for 6.
Owen Sound returns home Saturday night to host the Flint Firebirds. Game time is 7:30 p.m., at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
BRYANT LEAVES EARLY
The status of Attack forward Gavin Bryant is something to keep an eye on for Saturday’s game against Flint. He was dropped to the ice in the third period on a hit with about seven minutes to go and left the Attack bench and didn’t play another shift. He was favouring his shoulder as he left the bench. Bryant missed 19 games earlier this season with an upper body injury.
