SmartStop Post-Game Recap – Luck of the Irish
The Steelheads win it in overtime against the Erie Otters on St. Patrick’s Day.
First Period
The Steelheads celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with an evening tilt against the Erie Otters. This was the fourth and final matchup between these two teams this year, with the Steelheads aiming to close out the season series with a tie.
Following a few minutes of back-and-forth play, the pace of play started to pick up when Adam Zidlicky made an incredible move to deke out an Otters defender and drew a penalty on the same play. On the ensuing power play however, it was the Otters who got on the scoreboard as Malcolm Spence came down on a shorthanded break and slid the puck past goaltender Alessio Beglieri.
Around halfway through the, the Steelheads found themselves on another power play and made sure to capitalize. After getting set up in the Erie zone, Larsen passed the puck to Misa in the corner, whose cross-ice pass found Zander Veccia. The sophomore forward shot the puck up into the top corner of the net for the second game in a row to put the Steelheads on the board and tie the game.
Just 35 seconds later, the Otters struck back. This time it was Carey Terrance who managed to find his own rebound and fire it past Beglieri to make it 2-1.
In the final few minutes of the frame, the Steelheads tied the game up once again. Skating in with linemate Justin DeZoete, Quinn Binnie made no mistake in grabbing the pass in front of the net and sending the puck past goalie Nolan Lalonde. Mason Zebeski also picked up an assist on the forward’s first OHL goal.
The period came to a close all knotted up at two goals a piece.
Shots on Goal – 9 ER/11 MISS
Second Period
The pace of play slowed down significantly from the moment the puck dropped for the second period. While the two teams both had a number of shots on goal, there were only a handful of grade A scoring chances.
The best chance of the period for the Steelheads came with seven minutes to go, as Angus MacDonell made an incredible backhand move right in front of the net, but it was stopped by LaLonde. Lucas Karmiris and Jack Van Volsen also had a great chance coming down on a two-on-one, but Karmiris could not find a clear shot.
Just as the period was winding down, the Steelheads took a penalty for slashing and the Otters headed to the power play. With only six seconds left in the period, Terrance scored once again to put his team back in the lead with a score of 3-2.
Shots on Goal – 14 ER/8 MISS
Third Period
The Steelheads ran into some more penalty trouble in the third period. The Otters came close to scoring another one on the power play as Spence rang one off the crossbar, but Mississauga came out of the penalties unscathed.
With 10 minutes to go in the frame, the Blue and White made their presence known once again. After receiving a pass from Porter Martone, Larsen skated in towards the net with the puck, waited, and fired a missile past LaLonde to tie the game up at three. Zidlicky also received an assist.
Mississauga upped the pressure towards the end of the third, with several Steelheads getting big chances in front of the net that put LaLonde to work. However, the score remained tied at three and for the second game in a row, the Steelheads would need extra time.
Shots on Goal – 8 ER/11 MISS
Overtime
It was an exciting overtime that saw Beglieri make some incredible saves to keep the puck out of the back of the net. Midway through the frame, Erie’s Spence earned a penalty shot, however, Beglieri gave him no room to work with and stopped the puck from going in. Shortly thereafter, the Otters went down on a two-on-one, but once again Beglieri came up big and made a massive stop.
With 2:45 to go, Zidlicky called game. Skating fast into the Otters’ zone, the forward made a move to get past the sprawling defender and slide the puck past LaLonde to win it in overtime with a score of 4-3. Larsen and Angus MacDonell earned the apples on the game-winning goal.
Shots on Goal – 3 ER/2 MISS
Total Shots – 34 ER/31 MISS
Three Stars:
- Adam Zidlicky (1G, 1A)
- Kasper Larsen (1G, 2A)
- Quinn Binnie (1G)
With the win, Mississauga ties their season series with the Otters 2-2. The Steelheads head down the 401 on Sunday to take on the Oshawa Generals in the first of a home-and-home before the two teams return to the Paramount Fine Foods Centre next Friday.
