The Owen Sound Jr. Attack
Tykes earned a season-high third consecutive victory, and second straight over
the Essa Eagles, by cruising to a 9-1 road win on Saturday in Angus.
Brett Warrilow led the Owen Sound scoring attack with five points on four goals and one assist. Bryce Martin recorded two goals and one assist, Kashias Keeshig scored twice and Markus Granjar-Ptok added a single.
Cody Cox (2), Jaren Pirie (2), Ronan Helder and Jillian Goldie also chipped in with assists, while netminder Noah Lundgren, who has returned to fine form since being hampered with an early season blocker hand injury, earned the win between the pipes.
“I was really impressed with the kids effort today… they played three solid periods of hockey,” said Jr. Attack head coach Rob Martin, whose squad improved its overall season record to 4-3-1. “Before the game we talked about playing as a team, passing the puck and getting above .500. And we accomplished all three of those goals.”
Keeshig, while shorthanded, opened the scoring only 58 seconds into the contest when a Cox feed sent him in alone where he elected to go high blocker side.
Warrilow then quickly made it 2-0 Owen Sound when he, like Keeshig, opted to go top shelf at 1:55.
Warrilow would score his second marker of contest, and provide the Tykes with a 3-0 advantage, by burying a buzzer beater with one second remaining in the opening period.
Keeshig then scored his second marker of the game, from Cox and Helder, just over two minutes into the second frame, before Warrilow buried his hat trick goal only 12 seconds later to put Owen Sound ahead 5-0.
Essa snapped Lundgren’s shutout bid with 1:45 to play in the second period, but that was all the Eagles could muster against the stingy Owen Sound goaltender on this day.
Not content with a four-goal lead, the Jr. Attack would explode with four unanswered goals in the third period.
A driving to the net Granjar-Ptok provided Owen Sound with a comfortable 6-1 lead when he pounced on a loose puck in front of the Essa net with just over two minutes expired in the third period. Martin and Goldie contributed the assists.
Warrilow, from Pirie, would then notch his fourth tally of the game at the 3:56 mark of the third period, before collecting his fifth point by setting up an unscathed Martin in the slot, who proceeded to rifle a shot just under the cross bar at 5:56.
Martin then rounded out the game scoring with just over two minutes remaining on the clock.
The Jr. Attack Tykes, who have yet to ice a full roster this season, will seek their fourth straight victory when they visit the Honeywood Hurricanes on Wednesday. Game time at Honeywood Arena is 7 p.m.