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If
games were only 59 minutes, the Sarnia Sting would
sport a four-game winning streak.
But as all hockey fans know, that’s not the way it
works.
The Sarnia Sting let a valuable point slip through
their fingers on Thursday night.
The London Knights defeated the Sting 5-4 in a
shootout in Ontario Hockey League play before 3,083
fans at the RBC Centre.
Jared Knight of London was the only player to score
in the shootout to give London the two points. He
was the sixth player to shoot in the shootout.
But what hurts is the fact Sarnia allowed the tying
goal with 9.6 seconds left in regulation time.
Exactly a week ago Kitchener scored twice in the
final minute to post the win.
“London played a good road game and when you let a
team hang around and hang around like we did, it
usually comes back to haunt you,” said Sting head
coach Dave MacQueen. “They trapped all night and
waited for us to make mistakes and we made a couple.
By the third period we credited chances with our
speed and they couldn’t trap as much when they got
behind.
“But we squandered far too many scoring
opportunities. I think we had three breakaways and
hit a couple of goal posts. In the second period
alone with had six or seven quality scoring chances
and didn’t score.”
The first star of the game was London goalie Michael
Houser. He made 42 saves and was the main reason
London was even in the game.
Sting goalie Troy Passingham also performed
brilliantly as he made 29 saves, including several
from point blank range.
Sarnia opened the scoring at 6:32 of period one when
Kale Kerbashian cut around the Knights defence and
wristed a shot past Houser for his 24th tally of the
season. But 35 seconds later Colin Martin tied it
for London finishing off a two-on-one break.
The scored remained that way until the 14:57 mark of
period two when Martin scored his second of the game
on a power play. In the period Houser stopped both
Brett Ritchie and Kerbashian on clear-cut
breakaways.
Passingham foiled Martin on a breakaway in his bid
for a hat trick in the first minute of period three.
Sarnia finally tied the game at 11:33 on the power
play when Nail Yakupov drilled home a low slapshot
for his 28th goal of the season.
Just over a minute later, Garrett Hooey provided the
Sting with their first lead as he knocked in a
passout from Nick Latta for his fourth of the year
and second in as many games.
But London tied the game at 14:35 when Vladislav
Namestnikov scored on a penalty shot after being
hooked from behind on a breakaway.
However the Sting regained the lead at 4-3 less than
a minute later when Alex Galchenyuk scored his 15th
of the year banging home a rebound off a Tyler
Peters slapshot.
London pulled their goalie with 1:16 remaining.
Sarnia could not clear the zone and as the final
seconds ticked away, Namestnikov fired a low wrist
shot from the top of the slot that changed
directions and slipped past Passingham.
“We had the lead with 10 seconds left and we had a
chance to get the puck out three times,” said
MacQueen. “We were soft and London was able to keep
the puck in. It was a bad break as the shot hit
Daniel Broussard’s skate and went in. It certainly
wasn’t a play your diagram up, but you are told to
get pucks to the net and sometimes there’s a crazy
bounce.”
Sarnia dominated the five-minute overtime period.
After Kerbashian was stopped again on a breakaway,
Sarnia enjoyed a power play. They had several great
chances, one a shot from Ritchie from close range
that bounced off the goal post.
In the shootout, Galachenyuk, Yakupov and Ritchie
were all stopped by Houser. Passingham thwarted the
first and second London shooters before Knight
scored on a low shot after a deke.
“We still have to score in the shootout,” said
MacQueen.
Sting captain Nathan Chiarlitti said the loss was
frustrating.
“We came out flat in the first period, get better in
the second period and picked it up in the third. We
could have buried them with the amount of chances we
had. At the end of the day they get a bounce with
nine seconds left. It sucks to give up a points like
that.”
He added, “We just have to take the positives from
the game and realize we are still in this race and
have to be ready to go against Plymouth.”
MacQueen says the Sting need to put the game behind
them.
“It’s the same as Kitchener. There’s nothing we can
do about it now. Yes, we feel bad. But we’ll bring
them back tomorrow, pump them up and get right back
in the saddle.”
The Sting resume action Friday night when they host
the Plymouth Whalers beginning at 7:05 p.m. at the
RBC Centre.
STING NOTES
- Houser was first star with Galachenyuk second star
and Chiarlitti third star.
- London is now four points up on Sarnia, but the
Sting did pull to within two points of Guelph for
the eighth and final playoff spot with each team
having played 40 games.
- Brandon Francisco was the lone scratch for the
Sting as he recovers from an upper body injury.
Craig Hottot was back after missing three games and
hit the post and also the crossbar. Sarnia has only
21 players on their roster.
- Ritchie did not score, but did pick up an assist
to extend his points scoring streak to 10 games. He
has 10 goals and four assists in those 10 games.
- Sarnia was one-for-six on the power play and
London one-for-five.
- Sarnia is 0-4 against London this year with two
more games to go.
- Sarnia’s overall record is 17-18-3-2.
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