Carter George, simply sensational.
The Attack goaltender made 50 saves for his third shutout this season – and second in the past three games – as Owen Sound blanked the Barrie Colts 3-0 in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday night at Sadlon Arena.
The Attack (11-9-2) extended their winning streak to four, and also ran their point-streak on the road to seven games.
Barrie (10-10) dropped its second in the past three games.
Cedrick Guindon, Ethan Burroughs and Declan Waddick scored for the Attack, all in the third period.
But the night belonged to George. He turned in a masterful performance. The Attack faced sustained pressure from the Colts for long stretches over the first two periods. The 17-year-old netminder wasn’t necessarily flashy, but locked in, sliding around the crease and squaring up shooters with ease. Into the logo, the glove, or kicked away with the pad. The shots kept coming towards George and he never buckled.
Barrie outshot Owen Sound 14-5 in the first, and added 19 more in the second and 17 in the third. All 50 were stopped.
It was a goaltending effort the Attack needed as it took some time for them to break through. The game was scoreless through two periods, and then Owen Sound got its opportunity early in the third. Jack Brauti was given a match penalty for a slew foot near the end of the second period, and that extended power play chance for Owen Sound came up in the third after a penalty of their own expired.
Connor Punnett then put the put over the glass in his own end trying to clear, taking a delay of game penalty 3:41 in the third and giving the Attack a chance to work 5-on-3 for 1:11.
They connected. After some puck movement on the perimeter, Sam Sedley lofted a pass over to Guindon near the right face-off dot. The Montreal Canadiens prospect teed up a one-timer and blew it past the glove of Ben West to make it 1-0.
Six minutes later the Attack were back on the power play on a head-check call against Kashawn Aitcheson. This time it was Burroughs. Servac Petrovsky had the puck near the goal-line down low, and fed a perfect cross-crease pass to Burroughs, who tapped it into the empty-net to give the Attack a two-goal lead.
Waddick made it 3-0 at 16:45, taking a bank pass off the end board from Burroughs behind the Barrie net and then beating West to the post on a wraparound. The goal was Waddick’s fourth of the season, and fourth in the past four games.
George made 50 saves in the win, while West stopped 27 taking the loss. Barrie outshot Owen Sound 50-30 while going 0 for 6 on the power play; the Attack finished 2 for 5.
Friday, the Attack close out a stretch of five straight on the road with a trip to the Aud to face the red-hot Kitchener Rangers (17-5). Kitchener’s won eight in a row.
You can hear the game live on 560 CFOS beginning with the Joe Tomato’s pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
