Eight days after he roasted them with eight points, Deni Goure continued to torture the Niagara Ice Dogs.
Goure flicked a shot over the glove of Owen Flores 2:03 into overtime, as the Attack completed a comeback from two goals down late in the third period to knock off the Ice Dogs 5-4 Friday night in Ontario Hockey League action at Meridian Centre.
Declan Waddick delivered the game-tying goal with 1:33 remaining, with the Attack net empty.
Waddick was playing in his first game back at the Meridian Centre, after being traded from Niagara to Owen Sound ahead of the 2023-24 OHL season.
Sam Sedley, Ethan Burroughs and Sam McCue also scored for Owen Sound (18-5-2-1), which made it back-to-back wins in the first two games of a three-in-three.
McCue’s goal was his first as a member of the Attack.
Urban Podrekar, Mike Levin, Andrew Vermeulen and Brody Crane tallied for Niagara (9-21-5-1), which scored three unanswered in the third to take a 4-2 lead late but couldn’t close it out.
Niagara outplayed Owen Sound in the first period, and got the game’s first goal. Podrekar took a pass from Andrew Wycisk in the high slot and ripped a wrist shot past Corbin Votary to make it 1-0.
Votary was busy in the opening frame, making 17 saves as the Ice Dogs outshot the Attack 18-11.
But Owen Sound would tie it before the end of the first with a power play goal. Cedrick Guindon found Burroughs open at the side of the goal, and he lifted a shot short side over Flores’ shoulder to make it 1-1 with 20 seconds left in the period. It was Burroughs’ 10th goal in six career games against Niagara.
The Attack took the lead in the second. Moments after Votary made a spectacular pad save on Ethan Czata on a Niagara 2-on-0 chance, McCue forced a turnover deep in Niagara’s end and had a breakaway in tight. He didn’t miss, putting Owen Sound in front 2-1.
Things shifted Niagara’s way in the third. Levin tied it 2:22 into the period, deflecting a point shot that bounced at least one more time on its way into the Attack goal.
And then 59 seconds later, another point shot and another deflection got past Votary. This time it was Vermeulen. Just like that, it was 3-2 Niagara.
Then the Attack started coming in waves. But Flores kept turning away shots, and mixed in a few words towards some of the Owen Sound shooters in a fiery display in the crease.
Niagara made it 4-2 with 3:40 remaining in the third. Sedley flubbed on a puck below the goal line in his own end and Kevin He pounced on the turnover, firing a pass to Crane out front who lifted a shot over the glove of Votary.
But the Attack overage defenceman didn’t take long to redeem himself. On the next sequence, Vermeulen turned it over on a clearing attempt and Sedley danced towards the net, making a move around one Niagara defender before ripping a wrist shot blocker side past Flores. The Ice Dogs lead was cut to 4-3. Sedley’s goal came just 24 seconds after Niagara scored.
Then it was Waddick’s turn for a big moment with the Attack net empty. The puck came to him on the right side near the faceoff circle, and the former Ice Dog put a high shot into the net to tie the game 4-4.
The Attack survived a shot off the post in overtime, before Goure delivered the winner.
Votary made 37 saves in the win, while Flores stopped 40 taking the loss. The Attack outshout Niagara 45-41 while going 1 for 1 on the power play; the Ice Dogs finished 0 for 2.
The Attack close out their three-in-three Saturday night with a Midwest Division battle at home against the Guelph Storm (21-13-2-1). Game time is 7 p.m., at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
ATTACK CONTINUE DOMINANCE OF ICE DOGS
Friday’s win over Niagara was the sixth straight victory for Attack teams over the Ice Dogs, dating back to the 2019-20 season. The Ice Dogs haven’t beaten Owen Sound since the 2018-19 campaign. The last victory for Niagara over the Attack, was a 9-0 lashing at the Bayshore on Feb. 24, 2019. Since then, the Attack have won six straight over Niagara and outscored them 46-16 in those contests.
GOOD RIDDANCE, YOU TWO
Deni Goure and Ethan Burroughs put together quite the resume against the Niagara Ice Dogs in their OHL careers. Friday’s matchup was the final game the two overage forwards will play against the Ice Dogs. No tears will be shed in St. Catharines over this fact. Goure had three points in the victory, pushing his career total against Niagara to 18 points (8-10—18) in just six games. Burroughs had a goal and an assist Friday, increasing his career numbers against Niagara to 10 goals and six assists in six games.