Dreadful penalty killing ruined an otherwise splendid effort by the Sarnia Legionnaires Thursday.

The Strathroy Rockets scored five times on six power-play opportunities to edge the Legion Crew 7-6 before 1,395 fans at the Brock Street Barn.

The final goal, coming with just 21 seconds left on the clock, spoiled a rousing Legionnaire comeback that had spectators on the edge of their seats.

Anthony Donati got Sarnia off on the right foot in the first stanza when he unleashed a cannonading drive that gave the home team a 1-0 lead.

But the turning point in the game may have come just a few minutes later when the Legionnaires failed to score during a prolonged two-man advantage. As a result, despite outshooting the Rockets 16-6, they went into the dressing room ahead by only one goal.

The visitors stormed into a 3-1 lead in the second period before a blast from the point by Donati was tipped in by Jesse Drydak to cut the margin to 3-2..

When the Rockets took advantage of mediocre goaltending by Sarnia's Jesse Raymond to go ahead 5-2 by the midpoint of the third period, it looked like the game was all but over.

But the never-say-die Legionnaires mounted a furious rally, scoring four goals in less than two minutes to grab a 6-5 lead.

Joel Steeves got the comeback going when he blinked the red light for the ninth time this season at 11:05. Drydak got his 12^th of the campaign at 11:34, Sokol notched his seventh at 11:44 and Donati got his fourth at 12:04.

But the Legionnaires took two penalties late in the game and the Rockets scored on both of them, with Walter Easter getting the winner with time running out.

• In addition to his two goals, Donati had an assist, giving him six points in four games since joining the team.

• Other Legionnaire assists went to Tanner Tomlinson, Jake Unsworth, Derek Nap, Steeves, Owen Rogers, Chase Clark and Shawn Waldie.

• Sokol played his best game of the season so far.

• Sarnia out-shot Strathroy 49-38.

• Strathroy was five-for-six with the man advantage while Sarnia was three-for-nine.

• The Legionnaires are home Saturday to the Leamington Flyers.

• Sarnia now has a 9-9-5 record and sits in fifth place in the Western Conference of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, two points behind fourth ranked St. Marys and two ahead of sixth place LaSalle.