Sarnia Sting vs Windsor
January 31, 2010
By DAVE BORODY
special to
The Sarnia Sting
allowed their 14th
shorthanded goal of
the season against
the Owen Sound
Attack Friday night.
That goal turned out
to be the game
winner for the
Attack and led to
Sarnia’s 14th
consecutive loss in
the Ontario Hockey
League.
The Sting remained
winless in 2010
after falling 5-3
before 3,297 fans at
the RBC Centre.
Take away the
shorthanded goal and
26 seconds in the
second period when
Owen Sound scored
three times, Sarnia
might have and
should have been
headed for a
victory.
“Three goals in 26
seconds, that was
the difference,”
said Sting head
coach Dave MacQueen.
“We were playing a
solid game up until
then. We were
outplaying them and
outchanced them.
They score three
times and we call a
timeout to settle
them down. But then
in the third period
we give up a
shorthanded goal and
it is the winner.”
He added, “We keep
finding ways or
inventing ways to
lose.”
The Sting outshot
the Attack 19-7 in
the opening period
and was rewarded
with a 1-0 lead.
Jesse Stoughton
recorded his seventh
goal of the year
banging home a
rebound off a Tyler
Peter’s shot.
Sarnia could have
been up two or three
goals if not for the
goaltending of Scott
Stajcer of the
Attack.
Sarnia increased
their lead to 2-0
seven minutes into
period two when Kale
Kerbashian took a
drop pass from
Brandon Alderson,
moved to the slot
area and whistled a
wrist shot into the
top corner of the
net. It was
Kerbashian’s 18th
goal of the year.
But then disaster
struck for the
Sting.
Grant McPhee got the
Attack on the board
at 12:35 when he
beat Sting netminder
Shayne Campbell with
a low wrist shot
between the legs.
Nineteen seconds
later Mike McGurk
scored on a weak
wrist shot from the
sideboards, again
between the legs of
Campbell.
Just seven seconds
later the Attack won
the face-off at
center ice and
Steven Shipley
skated in from the
left wing and
snapped a shot over
the shoulder of
Campbell on the
short side.
The Sting hit two
goalposts in the
second period, one
off the stick of
rookie Braden
Kavaratzis from the
left wing while
Brett Ritchie
rattled a shot off
the post from the
slot in the final
minute.
Sarnia tied the game
six minutes into
period three when
Kyle Neuber cruised
in on the right side
and sent a quick
wrist shot past
Stajcer on the stick
side. It was
Neuber’s fifth of
the year.
Kerbashian had a
great chance to put
Sarnia ahead at the
11-minute mark when
he had a shorthanded
breakaway, but was
stopped by Stajcer.
Shipley scored the
game-winner at 12:52
when he followed up
on a two-on-one
chance for the
Attack, picked up a
loose puck and sent
a backhand over a
sprawled Campbell.
Sarnia pulled their
goalie with a minute
left and did not get
a shot on goal
before Shipley
completed his hat
trick with 1.3
seconds left hitting
an open net.
Sarnia finished with
a 39-34 edge in
shots on goal, but
was outshot 15-7 in
the third period.
MacQueen liked some
aspects of his
team’s play.
“We had good energy
and didn’t turned
the puck over a lot.
We generated tons of
scoring chances.
Their goalie made 10
or 12 very good
saves to give his
team a chance. His
teammates took
advantage of the
opportunities they
had.”
As for the losing
streak MacQueen
said, “You can only
beat a dead horse so
much. We are
definitely holding
them accountable and
trying to get them
to do things the
right way. There’s
no yelling or
screaming. They feel
bad enough as it is.
“But we’ve got 13-14
guys who are
battling and four or
five you aren’t
competing to our
standards. We are
not a good enough
team for that to
happen. The thing is
their expectations
are way below our
expectations.
Sometimes they need
to figure that out
on their own. They
need to compete and
raise your bar. It’s
an on-going thing.
Some guys can figure
it out and some
can’t.”
The Sting, who has
15 games remaining,
hit the road for
three games next
week playing in
Sault Ste. Marie
Wednesday, Guelph on
Friday and in
Plymouth on
Saturday. Sarnia’s
next home game is
Monday, Feb. 15 when
they host the
Sudbury Wolves at 2
p.m.
The Sting will also
honor ex-Sting Steve
Reese prior to the
game with the
Wolves.
- Shipley’s hat
trick made him first
star with Stoughton
second star and
McGurk third star.
- Each team had only
two power play
opportunities and
neither side scored.
- Sarnia was missing
four regulars while
Owen Sound had six
players out.
- Kavaratzis
assisted on
Stoughton’s goal and
now has three points
in four games with
the Sting. MacQueen
hopes to use
Kavaratzis for as
many games as
possible for the
remainder of the
season.
- Ritchie was named
the RBC Scholastic
player of the month
for January. He
attends Northern
Collegiate.
- Sarnia’s home
record is 7-18-1-0
while Owen Sound is
now a game over the
.500 mark on the
road at 12-11-2-2.
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